Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 193



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#193. No one step back (6)

First, when facing the enemy, send out as many reconnaissance units as possible from the front line to actively collect reliable information, even if it seems trivial.

Second, we must attempt encirclement and breakthrough rather than a frontal attack against the Korean military, which emphasizes a strong offensive spirit.

Third, we must actively and efficiently deploy effective firepower, such as artillery and machine guns, that is, more powerful than our possible opponents.

This was the plan put forward by Lieutenant General Hikaru Inoue, the commander of the 12th Division, as the main methodology for dealing with the Korean military.

Of course, the headquarters politely declined the proposal, saying that it was not necessary to go this far and that only the third method could be used against the South Korean army, which was weak in numbers and had overall weaker firepower than their allies.

Instead, they attempted to withdraw the Korean military from the battle line through politics and diplomacy, but they themselves could not have predicted that the current situation would occur.

Or even if they had expected it, they probably didn’t know it would be this explosive.

However, Major General Kikuchi felt certain this time. His division commander had properly recognized the enemy. The enemy was stronger than he had thought, had a strong will to fight, and knew how to fight properly.

“Are we facing enemies? Are they trying to divide us as expected?”

“What happened, Brigadier General?”

“I find it a bit odd, Your Majesty. The enemies have not appeared anywhere.”

He reported the current situation to Hasegawa in a tone that seemed incomprehensible.

After receiving the reconnaissance results from the staff officer, Major General Kikuchi sighed.

We were able to find several pieces of evidence that showed that this night raid had a different purpose than what other staff members were talking about.

If the Korean army had a strong offensive spirit, they would have attacked the soft areas on the left flank of the 23rd Brigade or the right flank of the Parking Corps by now.

The command center issued orders to take countermeasures and build trenches, but it was determined that the enemy’s speed of advance was much faster than their preparedness.

Since he had no choice but to accept the damage, the thought of how he would endure the initial shock filled Director Kiku’s head.

The lack of any further movement in the nearly hour since the initial bombardment clearly suggests that there were other intentions and objectives.

“After the destruction of the 1st Battalion of the 47th Regiment, if the enemy had intended to destroy our front line, they would have attacked either our brigade or Your Majesty’s main garrison. However, their whereabouts are unknown now.”

“···? The shelling is still going on.”

“That’s all. There is no movement of additional enemy reinforcements or signs of an offensive. It seems that they conducted a night attack with a specific purpose… but it doesn’t seem to be a purpose of destroying our lines. It will be dawn soon, and the 2nd Battalion of the 47th Regiment will arrive before then, but I think the enemy has all fled.”

“······.”

He believed that the Korean army would have retreated immediately instead of launching additional attacks. And the news that came in soon confirmed Major General Kikuchi’s estimate. The 2nd Battalion of the 47th Regiment had advanced, but there had been no contact.

“Then… is that saying that the offensive isn’t the goal?”

“I think they came in to find out our military’s weaknesses, but it seems like the current situation arose because the 1st Battalion collapsed more than the enemy intended.”

“Hey, these sly bastards!”

“Fix it, but it’s not the worst case scenario.”

Major General Kikuchi expertly collected information. From the battle this afternoon to the surprise attack just now, they had clearly overwhelmed our forces on the front lines.

It is unclear whether this was simply a local advantage or an overall advantage, but at least the enemies that faced the parking forces were strong.

But there was a blind spot here. The enemies didn’t take advantage of the opportunity. Twice.

Even if you think you are being cautious at first, there are usually two reasons why you do not come forward even when you clearly think you have the upper hand.

“Your Majesty, think about it the other way around. The enemy’s actions right now are tactically unreasonable. How should I put it… They didn’t destroy us even though they had the chance. Or should I say they couldn’t?”

“Let me explain in detail.”

Hasegawa suppressed his anger and decided to listen to what the cautious Director Kikuchi had to say.

Although he was still out of his mind due to the continuous damage, he did not ignore the story of someone who at least knew how to distinguish right from wrong.

“Now, in the battle this afternoon, the enemy certainly had ample opportunity to destroy the garrison battalions and expand their reach. But they did not move.”

“Could it be that they judged that our military was prepared?”

“That may be true, but this night raid has made me certain. The enemy either lacks offensive capabilities, or their commanders are extremely scared. However, considering what happened just now, their commanders are not scared. Rather, they are closer to fighters who actively fight to destroy our weaknesses.”

He evaluated the enemy he had encountered based on the information he had gathered so far. In fact, it was a bit of an evaluation, but at least in this place, there were not many who had analyzed the enemy as well as Major General Kikuchi. That was why he continued speaking with a confident voice.

“The enemy… is not prepared?”

“It’s still just a hypothesis, but judging from their behavior so far, it seems that way. If they had been trained in the French style, they should have actively demonstrated their will to attack and attempted to move and break through, but they didn’t.”

“Can we break through them?”

“It will take some time, but it is possible. However, it will require some preparation.”

Director Kikuchi took out his notebook.

Between the densely written letters, there were things like the expected arrival times of the transport ships that were to enter Jemulpo, and he looked at them and thought for a moment. Then, as if what he had been waiting for had finally arrived, he looked at Hasegawa with a wide smile on his face.

“Maybe tomorrow won’t be possible, but we can start a full-scale offensive starting the day after tomorrow.”

Captain Kiku looked in the direction of Jemulpo, and only then did Hasegawa understand what he was talking about.

The big guys were coming.

***

Meanwhile, as day broke, cheers echoed across Juansan Mountain.

Thanks to the unforgettable, intense artillery fire and the unbelievable courage of the reconnaissance company, they were able to achieve two victories in one day.

Min Yeong-gi patted the shoulder of the search company leader, Hong Beom-do, and said, “Thank you for your hard work,” and then stared blankly at the prisoners they had brought in.

Although their expressions seemed a bit far-fetched to call them the devil-like Japanese soldiers, the fact that they had been taken prisoner had several meanings.

Min Yeong-gi was able to obtain various information based on the fact that the search party that went on a night assault captured six prisoners.

“Thanks to the search party, we were able to learn a little about the enemies.”

“Did you get any good information from the prisoners?”

“It’s not that big. But it seems true that the enemies are not that great of a force.”

What was most certain was that the enemy’s initial strategy at the start of the war was tangled, and that the Japanese army, which had prepared its equipment and troops accordingly, was bound to suffer heavy casualties in the battle that took place this afternoon and at night.

“But the enemies we’re up against aren’t real yet.”

“Yes? If that’s true···.”

“The 23rd Brigade troops were not mobilized. What we encountered so far were the reserve forces that formed the Korean main force… in other words, the second-line troops.”

There was a reason why they were divided like that yesterday. In the first place, those who came in pretending to be occupying forces and maintaining local security would not have fought so well. Well, their mindset must have been like that. They probably never thought they would be deployed in such a high-intensity battle.

However, he could not help but feel regretful. If the unit he commanded had been a little more skilled, if the unit he commanded had been trained a little more, he could have actively attacked and inflicted fatal damage on the enemy, but it was impossible because the unit was not skilled enough.

That’s why he expressed his regret even more.

“If the 23rd Brigade comes to our front, we won’t be able to fight as leisurely as we are doing now.”

Min Yeong-gi spoke while recalling his memory of personally observing the Japanese military exercise that took place two years ago.

From now on, if we were to confront the regular Japanese forces in earnest, especially the 12th Division main force that would be the vanguard unit upon landing on the Korean Peninsula, we believed that there would be enormous casualties.

The Marshal’s Office had already decided that it would be difficult to win a head-on confrontation with the 12th Division without the Guards Division, the Assault Infantry Regiment, and the Cavalry Regiment.

Above all, Min Yeong-gi did not want to acknowledge their infantry tactics and troop management, but he judged that they were superior to his own forces.

In particular, it was difficult for him to even follow the timing of the Japanese military commanders’ decisions and deployment of troops.

They were able to estimate that it was worth it to throw one or two companies into the enemy’s fire for victory in battle, and naturally, the fanatic and blind infantrymen obeyed their commander’s orders absolutely. And they wanted to gain more based on that loss.

It wasn’t just the commanders. The entire nation was willing to make small sacrifices for the sake of a greater victory.

If given the opportunity to surround an enemy field army, they would gladly do so, even if it meant losing 20,000 men.

Even if it’s not 20,000, but 30,000 or 100,000, it would be possible to do so.

Because they were such enemies, if the 23rd Brigade were to come directly to the front, they would have been more than happy to throw their troops in front of them, saying, “It’s only a battalion or so,” and they would have been more than aware of the weaknesses of the units deployed in Juansan.

Min Yeong-gi sighed as he watched them make an expression of incomprehension in front of him, while at the same time, he saw them cruelly pursuing efficiency and using the lives of soldiers as the price of war that would determine the fate of the nation.

“···There isn’t much stakes to be had.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Oh, no. Anyway, the 23rd Brigade is the problem.”

“Well, if additional troops were to arrive at Jemulpo, that would be a problem. According to information from the Marshal’s Office, the 12th Division is currently entering Jemulpo, while the Guards Division and the 2nd Division are landing at Gunsan and Busan, respectively.”

It wouldn’t end there. Tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, would probably land here, trampling on our homeland and doing whatever they could to make it their own.

In front of them, Min Yeong-gi and his 3rd Brigade were like a light in the wind.

“No matter what happens, there will be no surrender. Even if it means losing my breath, I will defend this place. Whether it’s the 12th Division or the Guards Division, if you want to come, come.”

Then he jumped up from his seat.

The day was dawning, but the enemies did not move.

No matter what they were planning, crossing this Juansan Mountain was never going to be an easy toll.

You’ll have to bring everything you’ve got to deal with them.