Joseon Military Officer, Establishing Balhae - Chapter 349



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Episode 349

Qing’s entrance (1)

The 21st year of Jianxing, summer of 1616. The capital of the Dalai Autonomous Territory, Yimin Valley.

Prince Taewon, the foreign minister of Balhae, stopped talking only when the fortress of Imgol appeared before his eyes.

“Let’s take a short break and then go.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Then I will send someone to the fortress to inform them that we are nearby.”

“I know.”

Taewon climbed the hill with an outside entourage and examined Immigol and its surroundings in detail.

“As expected, the wilderness is the wilderness.”

“However, compared to before, the post stations have been established and things have improved a lot. It seems that the Greater Khingan Mountains were not so difficult thanks to the post stations.”

Choi Young-hwan, the director of external protocol, answered.

Thanks to the steady maintenance of the post roads and the installation of post stations, it has become much easier to travel than before. In addition, water transportation through the Songhua River and the Nun River was actively utilized. Since it was possible to launch sailing ships from Yongdam (future Jilin City), located south of Ula Castle, Balhae began to utilize this water transportation. Thanks to this, the route to Dalai and Aeju became much easier.

The reason Taewon came to the distant Dalai region in person was because the Dalai Autonomous Government was scheduled to be established. So he visited as a foreign minister to congratulate the establishment of the Dalai Autonomous Government. Of course, there were other reasons as well.

“People are coming.”

“I see. So many people come.”

Quite a few people were riding horses to greet Taewon.

“Your Highness the Prince! How much trouble have you endured as an elder?”

As soon as the 25th Division Commander, Major General Ko Lian, jumped down from his horse, he saluted. In addition, several tribal representatives, including Ogorda Bosang, a Barga person who was recently elected as the President of the Dalai Autonomous Government, paid their respects to Taewon.

The Dalai region representatives looked quite moved, as Prince Gyeongchin, the younger brother of the Great King, had come to this distant place in person.

“Thank you for coming out to greet me.”

Goryeon introduced the indigenous representatives to Taewon.

“Okay, then let’s get on the horse.”

Taewon and his party now set off towards the Immigol Fortress.

“Your Majesty! The establishment of the Dalai Autonomous Region government is a very important matter, but there are several delegations in Immigol right now. From what I’ve heard from them, it seems like there’s a lot of work to be done.”

“It is good that you came because of such things. His Majesty has also emphasized many times that Dalai’s work is very important.”

“We know that geometry is of great interest.”

Soon after, the party passed through the south gate of the Immigol Fortress. Thanks to constant renovation and expansion, the fortress has now gone beyond the level of a wooden fence and has become like a stone castle. In addition, a fairly large market and local residences were built around the fortress.

As Tae-won took his seat in the command center, the representatives of each tribe that had joined the Dalai Autonomous Territory came out to greet him and offer gifts. Tae-won also gave some words of encouragement and briefly concluded the first event.

The next group to visit Taiyuan after the Dalai delegation was a delegation from the Buryat State Preparatory Committee. The representative was Bayar Dorji, and his expression looked quite heavy.

Bayard was the first to express his gratitude to Taewon.

“Balhae has been a great help to our tribe by supplying matchlock guns and gunpowder.”

“In what way was it helpful?”

“To establish a country, you definitely need a strong army, and Balhae has a unit armed with matchlock guns. They are also making good use of it in building beasts.”

It was the expected answer. Taewon asked other questions he was curious about.

“What about Halha?”

“Thanks to Balhae’s mediation, we were able to obtain recognition of Buryat’s independence.”

Among the many aimags that make up Khalkha Mongol, Tusyed Khanbu was acting as the representative. In addition, Buryat was also being interfered with by Tusyed, but this time, the problem was resolved. Khalkha Mongol also heard the news of Taiyuan’s visit and sent a delegation this time, and they were also scheduled to meet soon.

“How did you manage to resolve this peacefully?”

Tae-won’s question was answered by the commander of the Goryeon division on his behalf.

“When Ligdan Khan was defeated by the Qing and driven south, all aimags within Khalkha Mongol began to unite. It seems to have been due to threats from both the north and the south.”

All of the aimags of Khalkha Mongolia were in a state of semi-independence, and each aimag was like a country in itself. However, as the international situation changed rapidly, the aimags tried to unite as one.

“If it’s a threat to others, it would be Cheong.”

“Yes, it seems he was quite shocked to see Chahar’s Rickdan Khan defeated.”

“So the threat from the North is Westerners?”

“Yes. The Russian mercenary group Kozaki is coming.”

Kozaki is Kazak. It is written as Gasalgeuk in Chinese characters, but Balhae uses Hangul, so it is pronounced as it is in the original language.

“It seems like Halkha Mongols could unite. There are problems occurring in both the North and the South.”

“Yes, so Khalkha Mongol also wants our gunpowder weapons. If that condition is met, he said he would recognize Buryat’s independence, and I complied according to the previous policy.”

“Well done.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”

Taewon turned his gaze to Bayar Dorji again.

“How far have the Russian Cossacks come?”

“We reached the territory of the Topi tribe on the east bank of the Yenisei River, and I heard that their damage was very severe.”

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“Topa tribe?”

The Topas, or Torpas, lived adjacent to the western part of Buryat. This is why Buryat began to tremble in fear.

As Taewon tilted his head, Goryeon quickly showed him the map he had prepared.

“Well, it’s a bit far from Lake Baikal. But I heard the Kazaks are ferocious.”

Taewon’s question made Bayar shiver.

“Oh my! They are so cruel and horrible that the Topans call them devils. They are armed with muskets and sabers, ride on horseback, and are so ferocious that the Topans cannot possibly deal with them.”

“Then next is Buryat?”

“No. I think they will start with the Khakass. They are moving south along the Yenisei River, and the Khakass, located southwest of Tofa, are in danger. As a result, the Tuvans to the south are also uniting to prepare for their attack.”

The Khakass (Yenisei Kyrgyz) people were a people living along the Yenisei River, including the future Russian Republic of Khakassia. The Tuvans also lived in the future Russian Republic of Tuva, and the Mongols and Qing called them Uryangkai, or barbarians. Of course, barbarians were also a general term for those living in the forests of the border, so they were both a proper noun and a common noun.

Eventually, the rise of the Qing and the eastward advance of the Kazaks gave rise to counter movements within the Khalkha, Buryat, Topa, and Khakas tribes, all of whom secretly desired Balhae’s help.

“Then why did you come?”

Taewon asked Bayar.

“I have come to ask for your help. Could you not send the Balhae army? Then, not only will we be able to ensure the safety of our Buryat, but we will also be able to save the Topain people who have suffered a great tragedy.”

It was an unexpected proposal. Taegeon had tried to intervene in the Siberian situation by providing matchlock guns and gunpowder, but they wanted to send troops.

“Um, really?”

Taewon’s forehead wrinkled.

“What does the division commander think?”

“I am only following orders.”

“Do you have any spare troops?”

“We could probably deploy a battalion. Of course, the Buryats would have to take care of transporting supplies. I feel a bit uncomfortable about entrusting them with the supply route…….”

Taewon shook his head after hearing Goryeon’s words.

“One battalion is not enough. If an expedition is decided, at least one regiment must go. That way, we can protect the supply route. Is that possible?”

“If the Dalai Autonomous Region takes charge of security in the Dalai Autonomous Region and guarding the borders of Khalkha Mongolia, even two regiments are possible.”

“Um, really?”

Taewon thought for a moment. His older brother Taegeon gave him full authority. He gave him the authority to make his own judgments and take action, because he didn’t know what would happen here. It was too far from Seoul.

“I’m worried about the distance traveled. It looks like it’s going to be almost 2,000 roses.”

“That’s why Buryat’s help is even more urgent. We need to provide a base and help with supplies.”

“Okay. Then let’s send two regiments and discuss with the Buryat side to come up with a supply plan. I’ll report to Giha right away.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Taewon eventually decided to send an expedition to halt the eastward advance of the Kazaks and support the creation of an indigenous Siberian nation.

* * *

Ung Jeong-pil, the Ubudo Inspector General of Ming and the new commander of the Liaodong Strategy Office, sighed deeply upon seeing the Qing troops swarming in front of Shanhaiguan.

“Haven’t the troops increased?”

“It seems that they conscripted soldiers from our Liaodong territory. Or they captured prisoners.”

The expression on the face of the governor of Yodong, Wang Hwa-jeong, was also very dark.

Most of the generals who had participated in the previous Liaodong strategy and the Battle of Liaodong were eventually captured and imprisoned or beheaded, and these two men were newly selected and given the task of defending Shanhaiguan.

Although all of the land of Liaodong was lost, it was necessary to reclaim it, so Ungjeongpil was appointed as the commander of Liaodong. However, the problem was that too many troops were lost in the successive battles with Balhae, Later Jin, and the two countries. The troops deployed at Shanhai Pass and its surrounding walls were only about 50,000. Of course, there were quite a few troops deployed at each of the main gates of the Great Wall, but it was impossible to bring them back.

“Reinforcements need to arrive quickly.”

While staying at Sanhae Pass, Ungjeongpil requested the court to send troops by recruiting from the rear. The number of troops he requested was a whopping 100,000. Since most of the elite soldiers of Ming had been lost, he judged that more troops were needed.

“Phew! The number of enemy soldiers that have rushed here is a whopping 120,000.”

“It must be really tough.”

Woong Jeong-pil turned his head and checked the condition of the Ming army’s troops.

“You guys are all out of your minds.”

The Ming soldiers, who saw the enemy force of 120,000, were trembling with their faces turned pale. Furthermore, the Qing troops were not only in front of Shanhai Pass, but also lined up along the long wall, so the Ming soldiers had to disperse their forces to respond.

Soon, a loud signal and the sound of thunder were heard from the Qing army camp.

“Uh… It’s a cannon.”

It was the cannon of the siege artillery (Hongipo) that Ming did not yet possess. The Qing possessed as many as 80 siege artillery pieces and 300 Jamopo (Bulanggi). Since this battle was so important, the Qing army brought most of the artillery they possessed and deployed it for this attack.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Eek!”

When the iron ring flew and hit the wall and gate, Woong Jeong-pil was startled.

“Wow… this is incredible power.”

“Damn it! We should have had those guns too. How can it be that those barbarians have them and we don’t?”

“This is all because of Balhae. We really shouldn’t have gone to war with Balhae.”

Woongjeongpil still had time to look back on the past. After all, he had no choice but to endure artillery attacks. The artillery that Ming possessed had a short range, so it was useful when the Qing engaged in close combat. However, the power of the Qing army’s siege guns did not give him much time. The Shanhaiguan, which had a reputation as the best in the world because it was an improved form of siege gun used by the Balhae army, was gradually falling apart.

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