Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 197



Only Noblemtl

#197. Modern Warfare (3)

“Commander! What about artillery support….”

“The batteries are unable to provide support right now. Each company, suppress the enemies coming in with grenade launchers and hand grenades.”

The grenade launchers deployed as small unit support weapons shined in these situations.

The grenadier gunners skillfully took out their cartridges at the commander’s signal.

Yesterday afternoon, in preparation for a full-scale offensive, I removed the delay fuses from the grenades and inserted shock fuses to make them into grenade cartridges, but I don’t know when all that ammunition was used up, but it was slowly running out.

Unlike the worried-looking marksmen, the commanders seemed unconcerned and urged them on.

Only after the shooters had loaded their cartridges into their grenade launchers and fired at their own discretion did the urging cease.

Although it was less powerful than proper artillery firepower, it was enough to give a serious shock to the advancing Japanese forces.

Having dozens of grenades flying over your head in a short period of time was clearly not a pleasant experience.

The advance guard was overturned, and the deployed company withdrew to the main fishing boat, damaging part of the enemy’s offensive line with pre-planted explosives, so there were some results.

In the process, broken bodies and shattered equipment were scattered, but the enemy did not stop charging as they filled their ranks among the unfortunate ones.

Japanese officers and soldiers, already unable to make rational decisions due to the battle, reached the outpost while screaming and soon encountered a company of Korean soldiers defending it.

“The enemies are approaching! Prepare the grenades!”

“Charge! Charge! Let’s drive our bayonets into their bodies!”

The grenades exploded like a field of flowers, and Japanese soldiers ran through them.

The company commander who was defending the forward position, which was different from yesterday, immediately took out his sword and shouted.

“Squadron, all hands on deck! They’re coming! Don’t let a single one of them live!”

“Wow!”

And then, immediately, a wave of Japanese troops rushed in.

Bayonets and buttstocks, shovels and fists were passing back and forth, forming a chaos.

A Japanese soldier hit by a shovel fell to the side of a trench, and a Korean soldier stabbed by a bayonet screamed.

As bayonets clashed with bayonets, a clear metallic sound was heard, and as the senior sergeant deflected the enemy’s bayonet and expertly thrust the spiked bayonet into the enemy’s chest, the enemy groaned with a deflating sound.

The senior sergeant had many complaints about the spiked lances, which were forced to stab rather than cut in close combat, but they were so effective against enemies heavily armored for the winter that he decided to stop complaining.

Just as if a bayonet were being thrust into a doll made of straw, the bayonet could easily penetrate the bodies of the enemies.

Even as they fought desperately in close combat, additional waves of Japanese troops continued to arrive.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that they had now swarmed to the point of overwhelming the company at the outpost.

“The enemies keep coming, Captain!”

“The battalion commander has not yet permitted us to retreat! Hold on here as long as you can! Soldiers, heroes! Raise your heads proudly! Even if we all fall here, defend this ground to the end!”

As waves of Japanese troops continued to surge into the outpost that was beginning to open, and eventually began to be overwhelmed, Maxims stationed on high ground began to pour down fire, pouring down firepower on the additional Japanese troops advancing.

Bullet shells piled up on the floor, and steam burst out of the water cooling pipes.

The shooter fired his Maxim, almost in a frenzy, while the assistant shooter shouted for the rapidly emptying cartridges to be brought to him.

And there were those who were after this place. After receiving the observation team’s report, Chief Kikoshi stood up from his chair and shouted.

“Okay, the enemies have finally been caught!”

The other staff members also stood up and cheered at the actions of Major General Kikoshi. Meanwhile, the cleverly hidden Maxim machine gun positions were a great obstacle to the Japanese attacking forces.

For soldiers on the front lines, machine gun fire coming straight at them was more frightening than the incoming artillery fire.

So by forcing the offensive across the entire front, we forced the enemy’s machine gun positions to be exposed, and now it has been properly confirmed.

Major General Kikoshi personally gave the coordinates to the artillery and ordered them to suppress the enemy with as much powerful artillery fire as possible.

Soon, the entire 12th Division artillery battery began to pour out firepower as if it were going to take out all the machine gun positions.

“Hurrah! Hurrah!”

As soon as it was judged that the machine gun position on the high ground of Juansan had been destroyed, everyone shouted hurrah.

Major General Kikoshi decided that it was time to deploy the force that would determine victory.

“3rd Battalion, break through the enemy’s front line and bring victory. They are nothing now!”

“Understood, Brigadier General!”

He looked down at the 3rd Battalion soldiers who seemed hungry for battle and thought.

This time they were going to finish off those brave men.

Between the telescopes, the Taegeukgi and the 3rd Brigade’s flag could still be seen fluttering, but it was only a matter of time before they could continue to do so.

The 3rd Battalion began to advance toward Juansan, and Major General Kikoshi looked out over the battlefield with his sword resting on the ground.

A dreary wind was blowing.

***

“The enemy has destroyed the forward line and is advancing!”

“What are the 1st and 2nd Battalions doing? Tell them to support you immediately!”

“The enemy is now advancing along the entire front, Brigadier General!”

“The landline phone service has also been cut off! It seems that the lines we laid have been destroyed by enemy artillery fire…”

Min Yeong-gi’s face began to turn pale. Although the battle had been going on all morning and they had been holding their ground well against the Japanese, the balance of power began to collapse in an instant as the machine gun positions positioned on high ground were destroyed.

For now, it was difficult to check on the situation of other units due to the disconnected communications.

However, just listening to the last report, I could not help but say that it was hopeless.

The 3rd Battalion was already screaming that they couldn’t raise their heads because the Japanese soldiers were raking them with machine guns, and the 1st and 2nd Battalions were busy repelling the waves of Japanese soldiers that were advancing.

The 2nd Battalion Commander even said that the enemies had entered the battalion command post and that he was personally shooting and killing the enemies, which was a complete statement.

Although the messengers were constantly moving, this alone was not enough to fill the intelligence capacity that the brigade commander could properly command.

And the Japanese military cleverly took advantage of this situation.

No, it would be more correct to say that the environment was created from the beginning for this situation to arise.

In any case, the Japanese army dug in right between the battle lines of the 1st and 2nd Battalions.

Each battalion was unable to respond in time as they fought the enemy head-on, and unfortunately, the machine gun positions, the only firearms that could block this gap, were silenced by the large-scale concentrated fire of enemy artillery, leaving no means of stopping them.

“The enemies are advancing directly towards here!”

“Stop it!”

The Japanese army, breaking through the weakly trained battalions, advanced straight toward the brigade command post.

Their goal was clear. To destroy the command center and cause them to lose their overall combat capability. That must be why they chose to force their way through.

Min Young-ki admitted that he had made a mistake.

It seemed that sending the reserve force to Mansusan too quickly was the cause of the trouble. The remaining troops were now just a handful.

Although he blamed himself for the helplessness, he had no intention of sitting back and letting it happen. He ordered all the remaining troops at the brigade command post to arm themselves, and even called in the remaining reconnaissance company troops, barely managing to regroup the defense force.

Of course, it is still unknown whether this will be sufficient.

***

“Commander! The brigade commander told us to defend this place!”

“Fuck.”

As soon as he received the order to defend the communication trenches around the command post with the remaining two platoons while one platoon was withdrawn to defend Mansusan, he cursed quietly.

“What should I do now? There are too many enemies!”

“Tell all administrative staff and all others to come out! We need to minimize blind spots as much as possible!”

Hong Beom-do quickly secured the firing positions beyond the traffic ditches and spoke. Even if they were non-combat troops, if they held their guns and held their positions properly, they could somehow stop the enemy’s charge.

He ordered all available troops to be brought forward, then took a few marksmen with him and designated a few good spots.

“No matter what happens, you must not come down from here. Priority should be given to those carrying the swords, the signalmen, and the messengers.”

“With the heart of a beast… I will strike down those bastards’ heads….”

They were bickering among themselves, but he paid no attention and instead of the sword on his waist, he took out his pistol and axe.

If they were to breach the defenses and force their way into the trenches, he would gladly force them to pay a high toll with these.

“The enemies are rushing in!”

Someone’s shout, and the sound of boots slowly approaching filled my ears. From the administrative soldiers who ran out of the brigade headquarters to the wire installation soldiers of the signal corps, and even the cooks, they all waited in the trench line with rifles in hand.

They wanted to pull the trigger of their rifles right away, they wanted to unbuckle their grenades and throw them at the enemy right away, but they had to hold back their impulses when they saw the stern faces of the officers and instructors staring at them with their eyes wide open. What was far more frightening than the enemy was their superiors.

“Grenade, grenade!”

Finally, when Hong Beom-do judged that the distance had become sufficiently close, he sent a hand signal and gave a voice order to throw a grenade.

Those who had been waiting took out sacks full of grenades and hurled them down from the top of the castle as if they were stones.

Whether fired from a grenade launcher or thrown by hand after removing the safety catch, it exploded equally.

“Hey, did you get it done?”

The words of someone who was not paying attention were heard. The concentrated grenade explosions in front severely limited the visibility, and the acrid smoke and pungent smell assailed all human senses, but one thing was certain. The sound of more boots and the roar of the enemies that seemed to come from hell were getting closer than before.

“Hey, what do we do now?”

“What are you staring at?! You idiots, hurry up and shoot and throw grenades!”

As the special forces kicked the terrified soldiers with their boots and shouted at them.

Those who came to their senses faced them, throwing grenades and shooting rifles as before.

Right in front of us, those with a murderous streak began to rush into the trench line.

They were running through the smoky dust with only one purpose in mind, and at the very front were those holding swords, raising both arms and shouting “Hurrah” like madmen.

“Ugh, ugh···.”

At that moment, when the soldiers were overwhelmed by the enemy’s momentum and were gripped by fear, a sharp gunshot rang out from afar.

And those who had been leading the charge at the very front, carrying swords, fell to the ground, spraying blood, or fell as if rolling down a slope.

Hong Beom-do realized that the marksmen he had placed in good positions earlier were properly carrying out his orders, so he stood on the very top of the trench line, completely exposing his body and shouting.

“Let’s crush the enemy’s charge! All hands, charge!”

The Japanese army took advantage of the moment when the officers leading the charge were knocked out by snipers and the Japanese army’s lines hesitated.

Of course, Hong Beom-do knew that this would not last long, but he thought that if not now, it would be difficult to seize this opportunity ever again.

In addition, unlike enemies who had to climb up a ramp, they could charge from above while looking down, so they thought it would be of some help in holding back the enemies.

Following him, the remaining troops of the search party charged towards the enemy with their weapons in hand.

Perhaps, among the many battles taking place in Gyeongin-do, this may have been the bloodiest battle.