Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 194
Only Noblemtl
#194. No one step back (7)
“It’s time for us to leave here.”
“I can only thank you for your hard work so far.”
The French Embassy has issued an emergency order from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs ordering all French nationals working in Korea to return to their home countries.
The plan was to first evacuate them by ship to Shanghai, and then recall them to the mainland.
As war broke out, France spared no effort in protecting its citizens, and in particular ordered the recall of army officers, the Emperor’s personal military advisors.
General Kadual, Lieutenant Colonel Foch, and Major Vidal were no exception.
Unfortunately, since it was not their war, neither the Emperor nor the Marshal had any choice but to agree to recall them to their home country.
The royal family and government began to withdraw toward Hamheung, leaving behind a notice of termination of the contract along with a memorandum promising to pay the remaining deposit at a later date, and medals praising them for their hard work.
“It’s a shame. If the home country had made a bold decision, we would have happily broken their skulls.”
“I never thought I would hear something like that coming out of a French gentleman’s mouth.”
“I can happily crush those Huns with Japanese faces as many times as I want. The great army prepared on the European continent to defeat those Huns is our French army. However, soldiers must obey the orders of their country.”
Posh took my hand with an expression of obvious regret.
“Hell is about to burst forth from the world, and it is not you who are causing this hell, but those who are consumed by greed.”
For the first time, he made a grave expression. Perhaps it was a glimpse of the expression he would have to make in ten years, but he continued to speak without hesitation.
“If we fail to stop them in Asia, sad things will happen. And inevitably, Europe will also face a crisis. We cannot even guess what will happen to us. However, there are many people in history who have prevented such hells. Among the saints and heroes, I believe you will definitely be among them.”
“Like Joan of Arc who saved France?”
He nodded in response to my question.
“There must have been such heroes in your country too. In Orléans, in Patay, in Valmy, we had heroes and saints like that who saved our country from falling apart. They trampled even hell, which raised its head above the world.”
Posh spoke with his fists clenched, as if he thought that what was happening to us would happen to his country too.
“You know it won’t end well, right?”
“The end of saints and heroes is always like that, so you must endure it.”
I joked with him and watched him load the last of his luggage onto the cart. He was now leaving Seoul for the French Embassy, perhaps even last before we did.
“May Almighty God bless and give courage to all who face the storm.”
“Long live the French Republic.”
After exchanging our final greetings, Posh saluted me and slowly walked towards his horse.
Somehow the aftertaste was bitter.
The way of the saints and heroes he spoke of···.
Even if you don’t want to walk, someone had to walk for the sake of our current country.
Looking at Hansung, which might be the last time I would see him, I slowly headed towards the barracks with my luggage on my back.
Now it was time to lead the bravest and most faithful to what would become the real battlefield.
***
“Get down quickly! Time is running out!”
“Yamada, you punk! Are you out of your mind?! Who told you to transport the ammunition like that!”
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!”
The 12th Division reinforcement unit that arrived at Jemulpo began to unload various equipment as a priority in response to urgent requests from the field.
In particular, the artillery unit was the first to start unloading its field guns and machine guns, and the air was heavier than expected.
I should say that it was completely different from the atmosphere I felt when I competed in Yokohama.
Most of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of the 12th Division of the Japanese Army were overwhelmed by this inexplicable tension and the heightened atmosphere at the scene.
They had clearly heard the optimistic forecast that there would be no major fighting until they landed at Jemulpo and entered Gyeongseong.
Most predicted that it would be a ‘picnic-like war’ and that a full-scale war would begin the moment the Amnok and Duman rivers were crossed.
There were also false rumors that the resistance of the Korean troops would be limited to a small number, and that the majority would bow their heads and surrender obediently.
So the 12th Division mobilized ships to all the coasts where landings could be made from Jemulpo, and wanted to create a situation where troops could be deployed quickly.
But when I arrived at the scene, the atmosphere was not like that at all.
The Korean officials and civilians in Jemulpo were extremely uncooperative with the Japanese army, and news came that the supplies of the Korean troops that had already arrived ahead of time had been confiscated and dumped somewhere, so the supply of ammunition was not good.
“The air here… is so heavy.”
Lieutenant General Hikari Inoue, commander of the 12th Division, sensed an ominous atmosphere.
From the very beginning, I could never shake the feeling that something was buttoned up wrong, and the same was true for the 12th Brigade Commander, Major General Tadashi Sasaki, who was standing next to him.
And they could tell where the vibe was coming from.
“Why are there so many wounded in the field hospital?”
“I will look into it.”
Casualties from the battle were constantly arriving at the Japanese Army field hospital in Jemulpo.
Casualties were pouring in in the hundreds, from soldiers with bullet wounds and shrapnel wounds, to those who had lost legs and arms, to those who simply had no hope of surviving.
Screams and groans spread from there, and word about them soon spread.
The adjutant sent by Major General Tadashi Sasaki to investigate the situation soon brought up a shocking story.
“It is said that the Korean reserve infantry was severely damaged by the surprise attack of the North Korean soldiers defending the Gyeongin Road last night. The 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 47th Infantry Regiment of the reserve infantry suffered heavy damage, and most of those in the field hospital were also from them.”
“In just one day?”
“Yes, Your Excellency the Division Commander. I heard that it was a fierce battle, with one battalion commander killed and one wounded.”
Inoue couldn’t hide his surprised eyes.
In any war he had ever experienced, even in the Boshin War and the Seinan War, he could count on one hand the number of times such serious casualties occurred in a single day.
“I predicted that even if we couldn’t do it, we would have to go to Pyeongan Province to incur this level of damage, but I was wrong.”
“Your Excellency, Division Commander, doesn’t the fact that the North Korean soldiers are resisting with all their might prove that the General Headquarters’ plan was amiss?”
Inoue did not respond to Director Sasaki’s words. His words were probably true.
If this were to happen, they would have to prepare for a full-scale fight with the Joseon guys before even dealing with the Roske.
Of course, the 12th Division he commanded was the first to encounter the North Korean soldiers and had prepared for them, but I don’t know about the other divisions…
It would have been nice if the Guards Division and the 2nd Division had been similarly prepared, but since the headquarters was optimistic about the situation here, expectations were not high.
Underestimating the enemy is a surefire way to defeat, but many of the decision makers at the Imperial General Headquarters were not placing much weight on it, perhaps because they only remembered the Joseon of 20 to 30 years ago.
“As soon as the artillery is unloaded, assign it to the 23rd Brigade Commander, Major General Kikoshi.”
“Yes? But I still have ammunition···.”
“I will continue to push for ammunition, so send a messenger to the 23rd Brigade Commander and tell him to assign an artillery unit and use that force to push back the Gyeongin Road. I can trust Hasegawa, but I can’t trust the Korean garrison troops who are just swarming with reserve infantry.”
Inoue didn’t have any special feelings toward Hasegawa, who was his fellow countryman and only one year older than him, but he was full of distrust toward the reserve infantry he commanded.
“After that, we will continue to complete the additional troops in Jemulpo and move north toward Gimpo. If the enemy’s main force is holding the Gyeongin Road, we will have to attack their softest part.”
Inoue was aware that there were not that many Korean troops in the Gyeonggi Province, especially south of the Han River.
However, now that several days had passed, it was difficult to estimate how many significant enemies there would be.
According to the estimates of the headquarters, the number of reserve forces that can be mobilized in the Jemulpo and Gyeongin areas is close to 100,000.
If even just 10% of these were properly gathered somewhere, it was clear that it would cause long-term problems.
Even though they were poorly armed, their numbers alone could overwhelm the landing troops, so he decided to lead the main force of the 12th Brigade, which had landed north of Jemulpo, and eliminate that threat.
“But if we are talking about variables, what was it that our reserve forces, our enemies… what was it called, Adjutant?”
“Are you referring to the Minbo Army and the Po Army, Your Excellency?”
“Oh, yes. That’s them. I don’t know how many of them there are, but if you go around Gimpo and cross the Han River, you should be able to enter Gyeongseong right away.”
“It is currently impossible to confirm the status of those troops.”
“Continue sending out scouts. Even the smallest bit of information about the enemy will do.”
“All right.”
Lieutenant General Inoue had a feeling that the battle ahead would not be easy.
Although it was clear that the battle would be short, it was difficult to judge whether the damage could be contained to a tolerable level during the process.
Since everything has already become distorted and scattered, even he, who has done a lot of research on the Korean military, cannot be certain.
But one thing was certain: no one would back down.
***
“They say the enemies aren’t showing any particular activity today.”
“Inform the 3rd Brigade that the government and the royal family have begun to withdraw, and that we will also withdraw starting tomorrow morning.”
“All right.”
The morning and afternoon of October 16th were extremely quiet, even considering that full-scale fighting had begun the day before.
After the 23rd Brigade, the vanguard, landed, the 12th Division, the main force including the 12th Brigade, artillery, and division headquarters, began to land at Jemulpo within a few days, and intelligence was received that additional troops were landing in Busan, Gunsan, and other places.
And Japan also sent a declaration of war against us and Russia, indicating that now everything had truly begun.
This would be the beginning of tens, hundreds of millions of deaths.
The battle that was unfolding now was only the beginning, but at least that role had to be fulfilled.