Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 166



Only Noblemtl

#166. Rising Dark Clouds (4)

“In any case, the Japanese army will attempt a mobile breakthrough in a similar manner to ours. I don’t know where your country’s defense line will be organized, but if it is in preparation for a future battle, it will make all-out efforts to attack the northern part of Korea.”

“That will happen. They will try to penetrate the northern region and advance into Manchuria, just like in the war in 1994.”

A series of advance routes connecting Hansung-Gaeseong-Pyongyang-Uiju. So I was also establishing a delaying war plan centered around that place. I don’t know how long we can actually hold out though.

“That will be the biggest problem. What the Korean Empire needs is not secondary things like artillery or elite infantry. In any case, it is an obvious fact that the Japanese Empire has a considerable advantage over the Korean Empire in terms of national power and military power. Everyone knows that the Korean Empire cannot defeat them alone in a one-on-one fight.”

He glanced at the French officers and said:

At his words, the room became quiet for a moment.

The Russian military instructors and French officers also focused on Falkenhayn’s words.

And the things he said, even though they were painful, were all true.

What I was focusing on was gaining an advantage in the tactical aspect, and I hadn’t approached it from a strategic perspective as Falkenhayn said.

No matter how bravely or tactically we fight, if we fight 1:1, we will definitely lose strategically. Just like France and Germany before the war.

No, maybe the gap is even bigger than that.

“They will try to wage a war of attrition, even if it means taking some damage, and try to prey on your country’s elite forces. Japan has plenty of resources available, but it’s obvious what the Korean Empire can mobilize. All it needs to do is organize eight standing brigades and 100,000 regular troops.”

“We won’t give in easily. We have to be prepared to lose one-third of the Japanese youth born in the 1880s.”

“That is the blind spot, General. It is true that the Korean Empire’s army, which you have worked hard to train, is one of the strongest in Asia. However, while the Japanese army has the social and economic capacity to replenish even one battalion, the Korean Empire’s army cannot avoid suffering irreparable losses if it loses even one company. In other words, unlike Japan, its capacity to replenish is limited.”

As he said, this was also a problem I had been trying to ignore.

If the Russo-Japanese War were to break out, it would be advantageous to fight on home ground, but the question was whether we were fully prepared to face it.

Although mobilizing troops from the invaded mainland would not have been difficult, they had to fight while suffering serious penalties in terms of supply of supplies.

In particular, the supply of chemicals (especially picric acid) necessary for ammunition production had to be supplied exclusively by European countries, especially via sea, and without them, it was inevitable that even the most basic ammunition production would be paralyzed.

Rather, thanks to the huge power of the Combined Fleet, Japan, which has a safe sea and a intact mainland, is bound to have an advantage in this respect over us, who are fighting with the home ground advantage.

“There is no way Japan doesn’t know what we know. They will take losses and go on the offensive to try to find a breakthrough. That’s our way.”

“No, do you think Japan intends to engage in a massive war of attrition like that?”

From the side, Brigadier General Puchata asked him.

Falkenhayn answered his question with an expression that seemed quite natural.

“General, Japan’s target is the Russian troops stationed in the Far East, not the Korean Empire’s troops.”

“What did you say?”

“Japan’s main enemy is Russia, and the strongest shield the Russian Empire can have in the Far East theater is the Korean Empire. Will you just leave them alone? Furthermore, from what I’ve seen, not only the Korean Empire’s army, but also your Russian army has very limited resources in the Far East. Japan, which has a lot of power to project, will have the advantage.”

“then···.”

“They will aim for a separate defeat. From Japan’s perspective, the worst thing they can do is for the Russian and Korean armies to join forces and establish a defensive line in the northern part of the Korean peninsula. That would create a very difficult situation.”

His insight, though seemingly arrogant, was quite accurate. It seemed to penetrate all my worries and intentions at once.

“Especially if the Russian army joins in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula, where most of the military power and national wealth are produced, it will be very difficult for Japan. The Korean Peninsula should be a stepping stone for advancing into Manchuria, and it should not help the Russian army moving south, which is their intention.”

“Then what should we do?”

I quietly asked him for advice. Actually, it wasn’t really advice, but more like a question about what I would do if I were him.

And Falkenhayn seemed to have caught the meaning of my question, and he laughed heartily and answered very simply.

“Russia’s military power is limited in the Far East, so the country that has some leeway should take the lead. It’s simple. We have no choice but to fortify strategically important advance routes and increase elite infantry like we did earlier. The front of a powerful mobile breakthrough should be blocked by fortresses, and enemies attempting to bypass should be blocked by elite infantry. That’s how we should buy time.”

His thoughts were exactly the same as my answer. What he pointed out and the answer he gave were textbook-like.

“That’s too simple an answer.”

To Puchata’s words, Falkenhayn replied with a smile in his voice.

“It’s a textbook answer, but paradoxically, textbooks are the most difficult to keep. Do you think there are more people who keep the Ten Commandments of Moses or more who don’t? Just thinking about that will give you the answer. As the war clouds grow, there will be a mountain of things to prepare and think about. Director of Military Affairs, it will be on a different level from the enemies you have faced so far.”

“I’ve already faced him once. And unfortunately, I lost that time.”

I said, quietly emptying my glass. In 1894, when I met them at Gyeongbokgung Palace, they were almost the only war machine that could be seen in Asia, and the group of Joseon soldiers I led were a typical Asian army that looked somewhere between second and third rate. The Japanese army was so strong that it was a good thing that they held out for a few more hours than they originally had.

“You’ve already been in a fight.”

“That is why we are rebuilding our army with even greater desperation. They will invade here one day. The embers have already been built up, and the Great Compromise of 1901 brought a brief lull, but the crisis can come at any time.”

“That’s true, there have been many instances of this in history. However, it will be difficult for your country to win. At least from a third-party perspective. Well, since it’s a war in Asia, the war may proceed in a somewhat different way from our ‘European’ perspective.”

“Yes. The European perspective···.”

I muttered quietly. The arrogant Europeans’ perspective made them lazy in accepting even the changes in the Russo-Japanese War, also known as World War 0. And they had to pay for that laziness with blood in 1914.

“But I would like to make a slightly different suggestion. Since Japan started the war, they either win or lose.”

“Isn’t that a given? ‘If you can’t win, you lose.’ This is an eternal truth.”

“Well, it might not be true for some people.”

I was laughing while watching Falkenhayn. The part where you say that if you can’t win, you lose, was a logic that was accepted by those who were in a position to attack.

But this was not the case at all for those who had to take a defensive stance.

At my words, Falkenhayn showed a puzzled expression for the first time.

“yes?”

“There are those who can win without having to support.”

“Are you really trying to hold out so that you can’t achieve your war goals?”

I nodded without answering. If regular warfare and irregular warfare were combined, there was a way. While holding out in the north with most of the standing army, if we attacked the Japanese military’s logistics facilities, telegraph facilities, and supply lines in the rear area, we could create room for the Russian army to hold out in Manchuria.

“That’s amazing. After all, humans are most capable and great when they are most desperate.”

Falkenhayn raised his glass to me, this time as if he was being serious.

“Nevertheless, I hope that the peace in Asia that was maintained in 1901 will be maintained.”

“I agree.”

braided.

I poured him a glass and sighed inwardly.

As Falkenhayn said, is it really possible to stand up to Japan as he said? There is still no consensus on this.

The question was whether Russia would actually move as I intended and whether it would even be able to deploy significant forces across the Korean Peninsula in the first place.

“···Damn Huns. If there’s a war between us, that’s how they’ll attack.”

And right next to him, Major Vidal was quietly swearing in French.

Falkenhayn’s words seemed to be aimed at his home country, France, so it was understandable. It was a complicated day in many ways.

***

After the tactical training was over, the destroyers purchased by the Navy began arriving in Wonsan one after another.

We also asked the Russian War Ministry to purchase about 200 Madsen machine guns, and they responded positively.

“···As that damn German said, your army needs more artillery and ammunition to stop the Japanese.”

“Are you saying 200 questions aren’t enough?”

“Japan’s artillery is three times that of the Korean Empire. We need to have at least 50% of that strength to have a deterrent effect.”

Foch continued to urge me to expand the artillery command.

Although the 200 Mle1897 field guns that had already been purchased were deployed throughout the country, he stressed the need for additional artillery equipment.

As of 1902, in terms of artillery power deployed in the military, 72 guns were deployed to the independent artillery regiment directly under the Artillery Command, and 6 guns were assigned to one battery of the Artillery School training battalion.

Here, 72 guns were deployed to each of the local garrison brigades except for Pyeongan Province, and the large-scale garrison brigades in Pyeongan Province had 36 guns in two battalions. 14 guns were left as reserve artillery to prepare for possible losses or malfunctions, but the general opinion was that this was insufficient.

There was a certain amount of money to be allocated to constructing batteries on the coast, but the most important thing was to secure enough reserve equipment to replace combat and non-combat losses. Although the force still seemed strong at first glance, I couldn’t help but feel that it was lacking in many things.

“According to the 1902 war plan, your army was to abandon the southern region and the capital area, engage in defensive warfare in the northwestern region including Pyeongan Province, and eventually withdraw to Hamgyeong Province. If that happens, there will be a significant loss of artillery power in key areas, and there will be no way to replenish it.”

He pointed out that in the process of giving up the capital area and establishing a defensive line in the northwest, and in the process of giving up the northwest and withdrawing to the northeast, it would be impossible to withdraw heavy weapons such as field guns in time due to the poor transportation infrastructure and rugged natural environment of the Korean Empire.

“Ultimately, the mass abandonment and loss of heavy weapons is a problem that can only happen in wartime. There are many uncontrollable variables in wartime, and this will be especially fatal to your country. It is right to use the money for purchasing torpedo boats and the loan we provided to expand artillery equipment. In particular, if you deploy the last line of defense in the designated northeastern region, it will be of great help for a long time.”

“Okay. Then let’s consider purchasing additional artillery equipment.”

“Ammunition supply in particular is critical.”

“···If possible, could you please purchase mainly high explosive bombs?”

I asked him carefully. Most of the ammunition that the artillery had now was not high explosives but shrapnel. They were quite effective for killing people, but they were not particularly good against hidden enemies. I had tried to secure high explosives for such a time, but in 1900, they were rejected because even France had a shortage of high explosives.

In fact, the production of high explosives was so desperate that even the great powers that entered World War I were desperate for it, so we shouldn’t have high expectations.

At times like these, I was once again envious of the productivity of modern Korea. It was one of the world’s leading manufacturing centers, capable of producing enormous amounts of ammunition in an instant.

If such facilities had existed by now, the tactic of ‘annihilating the enemy with a sea of ​​weapons and firepower’ would have been adopted immediately.

“I’ll try, but it won’t be easy. As you know, the production process is quite complicated compared to shrapnel.”

“···I understand.”

If we don’t have it, we’ll just have to use it as is. I thought it would be okay since just expanding the artillery equipment was a daunting task.