Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 189



Only Noblemtl

#189. No one step back (2)

Min Yeong-gi flatly rejected Hasegawa’s offer of surrender and steeled himself as he looked down at the Gyeongin Expressway, which would soon become a battlefield.

Now he took up arms and faced the coming defeat with determination. They would not give him another chance to surrender, considering him weak, and would attack him as an easy opponent.

“They must be coming with determination.”

“Don’t worry. The access road here is narrow, and it’ll be difficult for them to deploy troops smoothly, so it’ll be difficult for them to exert numerical superiority.”

In response to the battalion commander’s words, Sergeant Min Yeong-gi quietly exhaled cigarette smoke from his mouth and replied.

“I have to do my best as much as I can.”

He threw his cigarette on the floor and stepped on it with his combat boot. Then he looked at the staff and officers who were looking at him and shouted in a loud voice.

“Set up barbed wire and place explosives! This place, Mount Juan, will be the graveyard for those Japanese!”

“all right!”

“And place plenty of grenades, and control each soldier’s fire thoroughly. We don’t have a single bullet or grenade to waste.”

Min Yeong-gi did not just give orders; he went down to the scene himself and encouraged the soldiers, making sure they were fully prepared for battle until the very end.

The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 3rd Brigade, which were relatively well-trained, were to be in charge of the main defense line of Juansan, and the 3rd Battalion was to be deployed in the direction of Bupyeong to prepare for any unexpected situation.

After the declaration of war was issued, local civilian and artillery leaders came to the brigade headquarters in Bupyeong, and Min Yeong-gi began to place them in the right places.

“We must never allow the Japanese to set foot here. At least not until Juansan Mountain holds out…”

“Don’t worry. As long as you hold on, they won’t be able to reach Hansoo.”

A Confucian scholar who commanded the artillery units in Bucheon spoke. Although it had been several years since the order to cut hair, he still had his hair in a topknot and wore a robe. He spoke in a stern manner, telling us to trust the artillery units and the civilian defense forces he had led.

“You don’t need much, just hold out for three days···.”

“Don’t worry. If I can’t survive here, I’ll stay here even if I die.”

“There is no need to do that.”

“Oh, look at this. What can a swordsman with a sword do when his spirit is weaker than that of an old scholar? Scholars all fight with righteousness and die with loyalty. Now, finally, I can die for my country and His Majesty. How glorious it is! It was a pity that I could not die with the Japanese in the last year of Eulmi.”

Min Yeong-gi simply nodded his head, seeing something mad in the eyes of this scholar who looked very stern.

“Anyway, don’t worry about the side. I’ll keep my promise.”

Then he led his unit and began to slowly advance northward. Looking at them, they were of various ages, from old men past their conscription age to young men just old enough to hold a gun, but it seemed possible that they would at least hold out at one corner of the front line.

Immediately after strengthening both flanks in this way, the 3rd Brigade deployed the 4th Battalion relatively farther to the rear as a frontline reserve to directly support Juansan.

Their role was to rescue the company or the entire battalion whenever necessary when Juansan was in danger of being taken over.

Along with them, the artillery battalion assigned to the 3rd Brigade also took up position and prepared to fire.

-All Maximos have been deployed.

The voice of the senior sergeant commanding the brigade’s machine gun section was heard over the receiver.

Now it seemed like everything was really ready.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Among the firepower of the 3rd Brigade, the most reliable was the Maxim machine gun.

Compared to the Guards Division, which had six Maxims per battalion, or the assault units that even supplied the new light machine guns directly to the company, the Jinwi Brigades received only six guns at most, but that alone was enough to impede the enemy’s advance.

“The height of Mt. Juan is low. Is that okay?”

“It’s a completely different matter for those who face it directly.”

Min Yeong-gi looked down the mountain while answering the brigade staff officer’s question.

“If the two Maxim guns on the mountaintop fire at each other, there can be no blind spot. Then, wouldn’t it be a huge obstacle for those who have to climb up to the high ground themselves?”

Although it was a small mountain with an altitude of only about 100 meters, it had machine gun positions and firing positions reinforced with logs and beams along with trenches, which could have solidified their initial battle. The density of firepower would have been lower than expected.

“Everyone, wake up. Jemulpo has already fallen into their hands, so the road to Hansung depends on how long Juansan holds out here. If this is breached, Bupyeong will fall, and then they will cross the Han River in no time.”

He said, gritting his teeth. If only we had had a little more time, if the war had come a year later, we would have been able to fight in much better conditions. We wouldn’t have given up Jemulpo so easily.

“Damn. If only I had another year, or even half a year.”

If he had had at least half a year, Chief of Staff Min Yeong-gi thought he could have created an infantry force similar to the elite troops the Director of the Military Affairs Bureau had shown in Tianjin and Beijing.

However, the troops given to him were nothing but rabble-rousers and slackers who had never properly held a gun and were overflowing with enthusiasm, all of whom had been conscripted this year through the conscription system.

It was no easy task to make them into proper soldiers. At least at this point, they had managed to create decent riflemen and officers who would follow orders, but they had not yet moved on to something else.

“There wasn’t enough time for that, Brigadier General. But I’ve completed both basic training and company-level combat training, so I think it’ll pay off.”

“It’s not enough to just pay my price. All I want from these guys is for them to not run away from the front lines.”

Still, it was fortunate that there were reconnaissance companies assigned to each brigade. At least for the 3rd Brigade, which had no choice but to rely on passive defensive tactics centered on defending strong positions, they were the only ones who could actively engage the enemy and fight.

“They’ll attack soon.”

The battalion commander standing nearby let out a sigh as he heard loud shouts coming from far away.

As far as he knew, the Japanese army, unlike the Russian army, relied on German-style infantry fighting, suppressing the enemy through fire and engaging in close combat to secure a sure victory. And they were now ready to begin the first stage.

“For Hanseong.”

Min Yeong-gi hummed softly. He pulled out the sword he had hoped would never be used, and looked at the Japanese soldiers slowly approaching from between the trenches dug on the mountain to encourage the soldiers together with the 1st Battalion Commander.

He intended to take most of them as his companions even if they were all oxidized here today.

Thus, the first ground battle of the Russo-Japanese War began at Juansan Mountain, on the way to Bupyeong, contrary to the expectations of the Imperial General Headquarters and the Marshal’s Office.

Liberty or death, the words shouted by the young officer earlier would now become the battle cry of the 3rd Brigade.

***

“Shoot!”

At the final command, the soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, who had been waiting on the firing line on the ridge of Yatmahan Mountain, simultaneously pulled the triggers of the rifles they were holding.

The dull recoil from the buttstock of the Mosin-Nagant rifle, which was marked as manufactured in Hansung, was transmitted to the soldiers’ shoulders, and at the same time, the acrid smell of gunpowder and the familiar pulling of the bolt to extract the cartridge case were heard.

The shells hit the floor with a clear sound, and those who were hit by the blind bullets also fell with a dull thud or screamed.

They fired at the enemies they saw. No, rather than aiming, they simply regarded everything moving in front of them as an enemy and pulled the trigger without stopping.

No matter how much training they had given, they were still not at the level where they could calmly aim at the enemy and pull the trigger accurately at the target.

As a fierce firefight ensued, some of the Japanese engineers began laying explosives on the barbed wire to create a breakthrough, and they began to deploy additional troops to press the front of the ridge in earnest.

No matter how firmly the stakes were driven in and how densely the barbed wire was placed from three to seven tiers, it was a structure that was bound to be broken through by enemies who were determined to break through.

As the Japanese army, with their numerical superiority, slowly closed the distance while forming a net with rifle fire, the battalion commander, who had become anxious, immediately picked up the receiver and raised his head to ask the brigade commander what to do.

-Brigadier General, down to your left! The enemy is breaking through the barbed wire area!

The sound coming from the other end of the receiver was difficult to understand because it was mixed with the fighting sounds, but I could hear some words clearly.

It seemed that the enemies were indeed close at hand.

Min Yeong-gi immediately ordered those at the switchboard to connect the calls to each company.

The operators frantically connected the calls, and the first one to connect was handed over to the brigade commander by an officer.

“Oh, 2nd Platoon Commander? Let the enemies come a little closer!! And I told each company commander to prepare grenade launchers and hand grenades, so hold on until further orders!!”

-Understood, Brigadier General, lower left!

As soon as the call ended, the next receiver was handed to him. It was a reconnaissance unit that had been positioned on the adjacent high ground, observing the enemy.

-Brigade Commander, below, the enemies are continuing to push towards the forward line. If this continues, the 2nd platoon at the forward line will be pushed back. I suggest deploying the Maxim cannon.

“No firing without separate orders. We still don’t have enough machine gun ammunition! And reconnaissance team, you should avoid engaging the enemy if possible and report the results of reconnaissance every 30 minutes!”

-Yes, I understand.

The phone calls continued in a frenzy. Min Yeong-gi directly controlled the firepower of the artillery battalion under the brigade’s direct command as well as the machine gun team, and at the same time, he grasped the situation from the high ground and gave as many appropriate orders as possible via landline.

The ammunition given to the deployed machine guns was not that plentiful. Although each machine gun was given about 2,000 rounds of ammunition, this was not enough considering the defensive battles that would follow.

First, I ordered them to bring in as many supplies as possible from the ammunition depot in Bupyeong, but it was questionable whether they would arrive on time.

Meanwhile, one of the operators shouted urgently. It was a landline call from the machine gun unit, and he quickly picked up the receiver.

-The enemies are entangled! If we open fire, we can cause massive damage. Brigade Commander, please give the order to fire!

“Wait! We have to get them as close to us as possible!”

He controlled the fire as thoroughly as possible. It was not yet time to show off artillery fire and machine-gun barrages. The greatest advantage of defending on high ground was that, in addition to suppressing the enemy, he could lure them into a semi-forcibly constructed fire field.

And then an urgent voice came from the other end of the phone.

-The enemies are charging!

“······.”

Finally, the enemy launched their usual bayonet charge, shouting at the top of their lungs. They broke through the barbed wire and approached the outpost.

One of the companies defending the forward line began to waver at the sight and wanted to withdraw to the main fishing boats, but the brigade commander firmly refused.

“Attract as many enemies as possible.”

That was the order given by Min Yeong-gi. The company on the outpost line, whose request for retreat had been rejected, quickly began to use up their remaining ammunition as they watched the Japanese infantry approach within 50 meters.

Finally, the Japanese army approached within 20 meters.

Now both sides could clearly recognize each other’s faces.

The company commander asked for orders once again.

The question was whether to charge with bayonets at the enemies in front of them, or to maintain contact and withdraw to the main fishing boat.

However, Min Yeong-gi gave a different order from the two options. He decided to look through the telescope at the command post to see where the enemies were coming from, then pick up the receiver and give the following order to each battalion commander and machine gun team.

“This is the brigade headquarters. Connect to the Maximo position!”

“Understood, Brigadier General, lower left!”

As the operator skillfully connected the lines, a crackling sound was heard on the other end.

Chief Min Yeong-gi immediately began speaking without even having time to clear his throat.

-Maximpo is serious!

“Brigade Commander. Begin rapid fire from the 10 o’clock direction to the 2 o’clock direction.”

-Order confirmed! Commence rapid fire from the front in the 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock direction!

A loud voice came from the other end of the receiver, and soon their voices leaked out from the unbroken line.

-This is the Brigade Commander’s order. Fire the Maxim cannon!

-Bombing!

Soon, the Maxims deployed on high ground began to breathe fire. It felt quite strange to hear the sound coming from the mountain and also from the other end of the receiver.

Sergeant Min Yeong-gi urgently cut it off and ordered the other companies to link up and immediately concentrate their firepower.

The companies deployed along the main line took out the grenade launchers they were carrying and began firing at the enemy as they had been trained to do.

With a loud ‘Drrrrrr!’ sound of gunfire, a bullet fired from a machine gun scraped the ground once, completely exposing the upper body along with the dust, swept away the entire first wave of the Japanese assault force that had been attacking.

And this cursed instrument, which would come to be spotlighted as the darling of modern warfare, forced the deaths of countless people.

Shouts and curses rose from among the Japanese soldiers who had been hit by bullets, but most were forced to remain silent in the ensuing crossfire.

The Maxim machine gun’s fire had a nearly disastrous effect on the advancing Japanese troops.

They forced a bottleneck on the Japanese infantry and engineers who had just managed to clear the barbed wire area, and began to slaughter them indiscriminately.

Even if they took cover to avoid machine guns, another death awaited them. The grenade launchers assigned to each company would visually identify the stationary enemies and then start throwing grenades over their heads.

And it exploded among the immobilized Japanese soldiers, turning them into rags.

“Grenade, grenade!”

When the order was finally given to the company at the outpost, they took out the grenades they were carrying in their sacks and rolled them downward.

The grenade, just big enough to hold in one hand, rolled down the slope like a child’s toy ball.

And when the grenade’s fuse finally burned out, it exploded in all directions, tearing apart Japanese soldiers whose heads were being struck by machine-gun fire.

The Japanese military tried to find a way to overcome this absurd situation where standing up would make them targets for machine gun and rifle fire, and lying down and being pinned down would make them get destroyed by grenade launchers and hand grenades.

Usually, in such times, the method chosen by the Japanese officers was what could be called a bayonet charge. A brave officer would draw his sword and lead the charge amidst a hail of bullets.

They kicked the trembling, prone soldiers and shouted at them to charge towards the enemy lines. They reluctantly started running from the rear ranks to the front ranks, slowly getting up.

At the very least, if we could capture that outpost, we could hope to gain some cover to catch our breath.

“The enemies are charging! Concentrate all your firepower on the front!”

“Maxims, fire on the barbed wire area to prevent their follow-up units from joining in!”

“Get me a grenade, a grenade!”

But unfortunately, what was flying towards them was even more intense firepower. The firepower of the six Maxims that were constantly spitting out fire, the grenade launchers assigned to the company, and the grenades carried by each infantryman was something that the Japanese army had never experienced or had ever experienced before.

Eventually, after several officers and dozens of soldiers who had led the meaningless charge were killed, they began to slowly retreat.

The gentle slopes of Mt. Juansan were filled with the corpses of dead Japanese soldiers and the groans of wounded soldiers, and the soldiers of the 3rd Brigade took off their military hats and waved them, cheering and jeering at the same time as the retreating Japanese troops.

Min Yeong-gi took a deep breath and celebrated his victory in his first battle.

But both he and his brigade staff knew that this would not be the end of it.

The first victory in the Battle of Juansan was only the beginning.

This is a rough map of the Gyeongin-do battle that a fan made. I think it would be helpful for your reference, so I’ve attached it.