Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 202



Only Noblemtl

#202. In the Curtain of Night (2)

It was a surrender offer with pretty good terms.

In exchange for handing over the Gyeongin Road, they promised to ensure that the entire 3rd Brigade could retreat to a safe place. However, Lieutenant Hwang Jun-seong did not believe their intentions. No, it would be more accurate to say that he could not do so.

The Japanese were known to be mean, good at lying and deception, and enjoyed ambushing their enemies by turning their backs on them.

They knew no honor, and they would use any means necessary to achieve victory. At least, this was his perception of the Japanese, which he had heard, seen, and learned about.

Of course, the current proposal had clear intentions, and it was clear that it would bring about the destruction of our allies.

“What do you believe in that makes you surrender?”

He showed a sharp reaction, his expression distorted to a degree that was clearly visible even in the gradually falling darkness.

“The Brigade Commander says he will keep his promise on the honor of his warriors.”

“I appreciate the offer, but please also tell the Brigade Commander that we cannot trust those who would surprise attack the Russian fleet and invade our land. Furthermore, we will fight to the last, to the last shot, as His Majesty the Emperor and the War Cabinet have commanded!”

Then, the Japanese officer with an expression that said, ‘I thought that would happen later,’ spoke again.

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The tide has turned, and your soldiers are dying. So I urge you to seriously consider it. It looks like the battle will be difficult to continue.”

The interpreter looked at me as if he found it ridiculous. He had a look in his eyes that said, “What more can an army that has become a rag?”

“When you came here, you all decided to give your lives to your country. What should you be afraid of? Rather, if you can die for your country, everyone will think it is an honor.”

“······.”

As the interpreter spoke, everyone’s expression changed. Rather than anger or disappointment, it was something closer to an inexplicable awe.

Should I say that it is a mixture of admiration and regret?

Lieutenant Hwang Jun-seong couldn’t figure out why they were reacting this way, but he was sure that at least for now, they wouldn’t do anything fancy.

The interpreter relayed the story as if it was absurd, but the answer he got back was unexpected.

“He said he understood your intentions. He said that they would soon meet on the honorable battlefield. However, since casualties from both sides were left scattered throughout the battlefield today, he proposed a temporary ceasefire for 24 hours starting at 6 p.m. Will you accept this?”

At least this proposal was the one I liked the most out of all the ones the Japanese brought.

The dying and those who had already died and fallen, freezing in the winter weather that was much colder than usual, could not be left here.

Moreover, there were many practical reasons for accepting the ceasefire.

There was no room to fight any longer with soldiers who were exhausted after not having a proper meal for over eight hours, and there was also a need for time to evacuate ammunition, various supplies, and the wounded from the designated safe haven in the Bugae Mountain area.

Even if an honorable surrender was refused, there was no reason to do so until a temporary ceasefire was reached.

Rather, I had to accept it.

“···Good.”

Lieutenant Hwang Jun-seong nodded in agreement. Then, as he was about to turn around again, he heard a voice calling him urgently from behind.

“They said that we can send to our side any wounded that are too difficult for your side to handle.”

“What does that mean?”

“The wounded soldiers of the Russian Navy are also receiving treatment under the protection of the naval ships of each country or the Red Cross, according to our consideration. It is difficult to open a field hospital for our military, but at least we can provide them with help, so if they need help, please send someone.”

Now it was becoming a bit strange. How could he be so kind?

Lieutenant Hwang Jun-seong asked them again, wondering if they had done something seriously wrong.

“What are you planning?”

“You can think of it as a respect for your fighting spirit. Since your victory is impossible anyway, think of it as a last-minute consideration. Well, the brigade commander was very impressed by your fighting spirit. In any case, I understand that a temporary ceasefire for 24 hours after 6 p.m. has been confirmed.”

He turned around with a mysterious smile.

Although I still couldn’t shake the feeling of unease, I found solace in the fact that I had at least a moment of peace.

Lieutenant Hwang Jun-seong had no intention of wasting these 24 hours.

It was necessary to gather together what remained of the force, regroup, and prepare to fight in a new way.

As originally planned.

***

“We must resume the offensive immediately! We cannot give them time!”

“Your Majesty, that is impossible.”

As soon as we returned after concluding the temporary ceasefire, Lieutenant General Hasegawa, who had gathered the troops of the garrison, stormed into the command post.

He strongly argued that a temporary ceasefire with the South Korean military was absurd, and that if we mobilize all remaining forces and launch just one offensive, no more, no less, we can completely defeat the enemy.

However, Major General Kikoshi, who was actually commanding the field unit, strongly opposed this.

“Today, the 23rd Brigade launched six attacks on the enemy’s positions, but in the process, we lost a significant number of our forces. The two battalions that initially launched the main attack were almost completely destroyed and need to be reorganized, and the one battalion that was in charge of the auxiliary attack that had advanced toward Mansusan also suffered considerable damage. Only one battalion, which was in the brigade reserves, is currently maintaining its combat power.”

Everyone was breathless and silent at Director Kikoshi’s words. It was understandable. Director Kikoshi’s next words contained a cold truth.

“Your Excellency, Commander, we have never experienced such casualties in a single battle, not even during the Sino-Japanese War. However, our enemies are different. They are not only full of morale, but also have an overwhelming will to fight.”

However, Hasegawa did not admit defeat. It was not that he did not admit defeat, but rather that he knew the fact and thought that if he did not pursue and destroy the enemy now, they would continue to harass him.

“That’s why we must attack even harder this time and completely break their momentum! I watched the entire battle today. The enemy began to waver greatly in the afternoon, and if we had pushed forward just a little more, today’s victory would have definitely gone to you.”

“If you watched the whole battle, you must have seen the enemy’s incredible artillery fire.”

Major General Kikoshi directly contradicted Lieutenant General Hasegawa’s words and looked at the Korean troops in Juansan. The Taegeukgi was still fluttering there.

“The enemy is stronger than we think, Commander. Many of our young men have died in that incredible barrage. Shrapnel and high-explosive shells are pouring down as if they were waiting for our troops, and if we had launched another attack, we would all have been reduced to cannon fodder···.”

“You should have attacked even at the risk of that. You should have taken control of the Korean Peninsula as soon as possible, and defeated each and every one of the Roske bastards in Manchuria before their reinforcements arrived from the west. Do you realize that every day, every hour, every minute, and every second you waste here is giving the enemy a huge opportunity?!”

Lieutenant General Hasegawa spoke in an angry voice.

He was very disappointed. He had been so confident that he could win this battle, and now he was talking about a temporary truce with the enemy.

“Your Majesty, what you said is correct. Judging from the enemy’s conversation earlier, they are seriously short on troops and ammunition, and their positions have collapsed. If you attack now….”

When Army interpreter Heijiro Noda, who had been interpreting earlier, suddenly intervened in the conversation, Major General Kikoshi looked at him with displeasure.

“Since when have interpreters been allowed to discuss war? Noda Heijiro, stick to your original duties.”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

“Pathetic Joseon guy.”

He looked down at him, then turned his eyes back to Hasegawa.

“Your Excellency, I cannot allow my men from the 23rd Brigade to fall into the enemy’s fire. The enemy is using even their own command and the commander himself as bait to force damage on our troops by any means and methods they can.”

“It’s frustrating, it’s frustrating! The rise and fall of the Empire of Japan is tied to this war, and it is directly linked to time…”

Hasegawa was right in terms of grand strategy. I didn’t think his claims were unreasonable, even though he was a major general. Rather, he wanted to gradually attrite the enemy’s defense capabilities if possible, but there was another real reason why he chose to halt the offensive and call a temporary ceasefire.

“Your Excellency, the staff and commanders of our 23rd Brigade are all eager to continue the offensive. I, the 12th Division Artillery Commander, am also eager to immediately cut off the airways of those arrogant Koreans and plant the Japanese flag in Gyeongseong! However···.”

“But what is there to say, you cowards, if you are going to make an excuse, make it right!”

“There is no ammunition left in the brigade at the moment···.”

The words of the 23rd Brigade staff were something that even Hasegawa had not considered.

The greatest strengths of the Japanese military include its strong fighting power thanks to having the most modernized military in Asia, its vast experience that other countries do not have, and its well-organized staff organizations.

Front-line commanders rated themselves as having military and logistics capabilities.

What enabled them to overwhelm the Qing army in the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 was the massive military supplies and reinforcements that constantly provided resilience to the battlefield, and their capabilities were also demonstrated tremendously when suppressing the rebels in 1900.

But this time, it was slowly changing. Maybe that was how it was originally.

“In particular, the artillery unit has no spare ammunition.”

“What are you talking about? The artillery is out of ammunition!”

I couldn’t understand at first what they meant when they said the 12th Artillery Regiment of the 12th Division had no ammunition left.

It would have been right for the capable staff and quartermasters of the headquarters to have provided ammunition without shortage, but what the artillery regiment commander was saying now was something entirely different.

“That is exactly what it is, Your Majesty. The headquarters allocated 50 rounds of ammunition per gun, and based on that, they were supposed to provide a month’s worth of ammunition, but they were all used up in this one battle. From 10 p.m. last night to 8 a.m. today, for about 10 hours, our artillery regiment fired over 3,000 rounds at the enemy lines, and after that, we were unable to provide any more support due to a lack of ammunition.”

“No, does that make sense?”

Hasegawa couldn’t help but be astonished. It wasn’t because the artillery was destroyed that they couldn’t provide support, but because they ran out of ammunition. Why, while the enemy artillery was actively working earlier, our artillery wasn’t doing anything.

“Your Excellency, Jemulpo is in complete chaos right now. Some of the Guards Division that was supposed to go to Jinnampo was hastily diverted to Jemulpo, and the disembarkation of troops and equipment has become completely tangled. The ammunition we need is also waiting on a steamship somewhere in Jemulpo. We cannot launch another offensive.”

“The infantry’s rifles are also short of ammunition. Right now, the limit is 30 rounds per soldier···.”

“Overall, the situation is not conducive to an offensive. Casualties and ammunition usage are severe. No, this may be what the enemy was after in the first place. Your Excellency, I also believe that your judgment is reasonable from a grand strategic perspective. However, if we go on the offensive with infantry alone without ammunition, especially without artillery support, we will be completely annihilated by enemy field artillery.”

“Those cunning Joseon guys!”

Hasegawa threw his baton on the table in anger at the words of Major General Kikoshi and his staff, but that did not mean that the missing ammunition would pop up from somewhere.

He was displeased that he had to just watch as precious time passed by like a bystander.