Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 203



Only Noblemtl

#203. In the Curtain of Night (3)

“Then I will lead the four battalions of the main force and break through. We absolutely cannot give the enemy any time now!”

“Please be patient. Ammunition, just one combat-sized amount of ammunition needs to arrive. I understand that the parking force is also short on ammunition right now.”

“······.”

As the 47th Reserve Infantry Regiment went to the front lines, they were not in a comfortable position because they were taking up ammunition for other reserve infantry battalions.

In addition, because the Incheon Customs had hid the additional ammunition they were going to use somewhere just before the declaration of war, they had no choice but to quietly wait for follow-up support.

“And the 12th Division main force is moving north toward Gimpo. Maybe there will be some good news.”

“hmm?”

Major General Kikoshi also relayed the movements of the 12th Division headquarters, something he had not told Hasegawa. Perhaps he could even hope that they would open up a new path.

“So just wait a little longer. You will soon be able to overcome your enemies.”

Hasegawa didn’t like it, but he had no choice but to accept what Major General Kikoshi said. He roughly grabbed the baton that his adjutant had brought back and went outside without saying a word.

Major General Kikoshi sighed in relief at the sight of Hasegawa and ordered that the casualties be classified and as much ammunition as possible be transported from Jemulpo.

However, Director Kikoshi was unaware of this until this point.

Even though we were short on ammunition, we should have listened to Hasegawa and gone on the offensive.

***

“Commander, a messenger has arrived from the 4th Battalion in Bu-pyeong. They say the central headquarters has collapsed.”

“In the end… it’s over.”

It seemed that the main fortress, which was a key government facility connecting Gimpo and Haengju Ferry while defending between Cheonmasan and Gyeyangsan, had finally fallen.

The central fortress defending the ridge centered around Jingmaeng Pass was located less than 30km away from Hanseong on foot.

Exactly 20 years ago, the Bucheon magistrate mobilized manpower to expand the fortress in order to defend Jemulpo, but it seemed that it was no match for the firepower of the Japanese army.

Of course, it would not be easy to block the main Japanese standing division with a force centered on artillery and civilian troops.

The artillery and civilian security forces in the Gyeong-In area of ​​the central city fiercely resisted the 12th Division main force that had been deployed since the night of the second day, but it collapsed in less than half a day.

Although the force of at least a regiment was gathered, it was almost completely destroyed by an organized attack.

Most of the commanders of the artillery and militia were killed or captured, and the troops were scattered.

Still, thanks to them holding out bravely for three days, the right wing was able to remain safe, so I did my part.

“There is no reason to hold out any longer. We must retreat, conserve our strength, and then regroup our forces according to the Marshal’s initial war plan.”

“Guerilla warfare···.”

Lieutenant Hwang Jun-seong thought of an early war plan.

General Min Yeong-gi could not give up Hanseongbu and Gyeongin Road to the enemies so early, and so he made this place a battlefield in order to inflict as much damage as possible on the enemies while giving them an unforgettable blow even if they were defeated.

And he achieved his intended purpose and died in battle. If the 24-hour temporary ceasefire ended and the Japanese army reorganized its battle lines and launched a new attack, there would be no way for the defense line of Juansan, which had already become a rag, to hold out.

Not only was the supply of military supplies such as ammunition a problem, but it was also obvious that the number of enemies was increasing day by day.

“There is no point in defending the Gyeongin Highway since the Gyeongyangsan area has been breached. Why was this the main battlefield? Because it was the shortest route to Hansung. However, Jungsimseong has fallen. Not only is our right flank in great danger, but the enemy will rush straight to Hansung. It is only 70 li from Jungsimseong to the outskirts of Hansungbu via Haengju Ferry. Half a day is enough…”

“We will reach Hanseong.”

Lieutenant Hwang Jun-seong nodded to the other officers’ words and said.

Even considering the time it would take for a large force to cross the Han River, it was clear that they would easily make it in a day.

Now he had a choice to make, and he looked blankly at the kitchen boat and the shattered command post atop Mount Juan.

There was no hope to be found among the dying and the survivors in the present manner.

After some thought, I concluded that I had no choice but to accept a new war and its methods.

“Withdraw the troops. However, we must not let the enemy know, so withdraw from the battlefield starting with the 2nd Battalion, which suffered the most damage. As soon as the ceasefire ends, the artillery battalion will pour out remaining ammunition at the pre-selected coordinates, and after going through the destruction procedure, retreat toward Suwon.”

“What next?”

“After disbanding by company, we will carry out guerrilla warfare in each region.”

If things had gone as planned, the entire 3rd Brigade would have been scattered like that long ago. Fortunately, thanks to holding out until now, we were able to use up all the ammunition of the artillery battalion that had to be abandoned.

He folded the Taegeukgi and the brigade flag fluttering at the brigade headquarters, put them in a box, and gave them to the search company leader, Hong Beom-do.

“Captain, go to Sunmuyeong in Pyongyang and be sure to tell him the story of this place.”

“We will also stay and fight.”

“No, you must fight at a higher place. Go to Sunmuyeong. And report in detail to the Sunmu Commander about the battle on the Gyeongin Road and the death of Lieutenant Min Yeong-gi. This is my last order as the acting brigade commander.”

“······.”

Lieutenant Hwang Jun-seong said, placing the box in his hands.

“We must now wage our own war, so you must go north quickly. Before it is too late, tell us what happened here.”

“I will follow your orders···.”

Hong Beom-do took the box and answered with tears in his eyes.

Even though he fought with all his might, he was unable to overcome the difference in strength. After chasing the remaining members of the search party, he set off on a long journey.

***

And two days later, the Japanese army occupied the empty Juansan Mountain.

The 23rd Brigade and the ROK Army attempted to resume the attack immediately after the armistice ended, but they hesitated to attack because they were under continuous artillery fire and mistakenly thought that the ROK Army was still fiercely defending.

However, after the late evening of the fourth day, and at dawn of the fifth day, the artillery fire completely stopped, and the reconnaissance party dispatched by the 23rd Brigade reported that not only the North Korean soldiers on Juansan, but also on Bugaesan and Mansusan had all disappeared like the wind.

In preparation for any eventuality, they cautiously sent out troops to prepare for an ambush and entered the main fishing boat, only to discover that the enemy had all retreated and disappeared.

An enraged Hasegawa berated Major General Kikoshi for blowing a golden opportunity to completely surround and destroy the Korean troops, but his anger was in vain as ammunition had not yet been properly supplied.

“We could have completely destroyed the enemy brigade…”

He continued to grumble and complain, but the 23rd Brigade Commander, Major General Kikoshi, and his staff paid no attention and ordered the advance to Hanseongbu.

At this point, the 12th Division main force gradually approached the western outskirts of Hanseongbu via Haengjunaru, while the 23rd Brigade and the 2nd Army Corps broke through the Gyeongin Highway and entered the southern part of Hanseongbu.

And to these people, officials who seemed to have come from Hanseong sent letters. They were not written in the name of the imperial family or the cabinet, but in the name of Kim Hong-ryuk, the Hanseong magistrate in charge of Hanseongbu.

“I am informing you that our royal family, government, and military have already left Hanseongbu and have declared a non-resistance city under the guarantee of Yeonggili and the French ambassador.”

“What, what is this!”

Hasegawa was furious again this time.

Perhaps because he felt he had been fooled not once, but twice, he immediately captured and detained the Hanseongbu officials and tried to vent his anger by mobilizing the military forces on the outskirts of Hanseongbu under the pretext of eliminating the remnants of the banditry, but he was soon forced to stop due to the persuasion of Minister Hayashi, who had hurriedly arrived from Chungju.

“Commander! Stop this nonsense!”

“What are you saying, construction? These are people who actively cooperate with the enemy! And we don’t even know where the remnants of the enemy who withdrew from Gyeongin-do are…”

“The head office told us to stop. The General Headquarters and the Cabinet have resolved to establish a local government that will cooperate with us and control the Korean Peninsula. Do you think the commander will go against that? If you get rid of all the local officials, who will take care of the civilian administration? Can you handle the civilian administration of the occupied area?”

“but-”

“This is also an order from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Imperial General Headquarters, so please stop. Gyeongseong is a city that has declared non-resistance, and the British and French ambassadors have also guaranteed this, so if you try to touch it any further, it will look really bad.”

Hasegawa thought that the cunning Koreans were continuing to scheming, and pointed out their intentions to Hayashi, but he paid no attention.

Since they have Gyeongseong in their hands anyway, legitimacy belongs to them.

On the contrary, he pointed out that the Korean royal family, government, and military that fled to Gwanseo and Gwanbuk could be driven out as rebels.

“So what we have to do from now on is to control the areas south of Hanseongbu and Gyeonggi with them at the forefront, and destroy those who are fearlessly resisting in the north. Only then will our army be able to demonstrate its power to fight Roske.”

“Okay.”

Hayashi, who was known to be docile, took a hard line this time, so Hasegawa had no choice. Furthermore, he could not completely ignore the key figure in Korea policy, who had the Imperial General Headquarters and the Cabinet at his back, as the commander of the Korean army.

“Okay, I understand.”

“Commander, please control the parking forces to maintain security within Gyeongseong, the outskirts of Gyeongseong-bu, and the Gyeongin highway. The entire 1st Army will now gather near Gyeongseong and attempt to advance within two weeks. Commander, you must control the supply lines, major railroads, communication lines, and field hospitals to help the 1st Army quickly break through the Korean Peninsula.”

It was said that the commander of the 1st Army, Kuroki, would soon arrive at Jemulpo. Hasegawa needed to clear the place before they arrived, and to do so, he needed to cooperate with the nervous Korean officials in front of him.

Although he was reluctant, he had to follow orders from his superiors.

Looking at their appearance, Hanseong Mayor Kim Hong-ryuk smiled in an incomprehensible way.

***

“It seems that the Gyeongin-do defense line has collapsed.”

“It went according to plan.”

I almost reached Pyongyang-bu and was able to hear news from the Jemulpo and Hanseong-bu areas.

There was news that the 3rd Brigade, after inflicting significant damage on the Japanese during the third day of the offensive, had taken advantage of the temporary ceasefire to withdraw its troops from the front line.

Lieutenant Shin Pal-gyun, who was now the adjutant of the Yangseo Sunmuyeong, told me about the battle of the 3rd Brigade and even reported that they had finally cut off all communication networks in the Gyeong-In region.

It seemed that they had destroyed as many facilities as possible that the enemy could use and left.

“The enemies must have entered Hanseong now.”

“···This must be the start of a real war.”