Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 210



Only Noblemtl

#210. Glorious Days of the Navy (3)

Admiral Jang Gi-ryeom immediately summoned all the naval captains, and Rear Admiral Bezobrazov, the commander of the Russian Vlavostok cruiser squadron, also arrived.

They continued their discussion on ‘trade disruption’, which they were most confident in, while sharing the information provided by Jo Dong-yoon.

“Whether this information is true or not, we will definitely sortie. We will avenge the deaths of our cruiser Varyag and the gunboat Koryets at Jemulpo with the blood of our enemies!”

Since the Russian fleet was determined to deploy, the main topic of discussion from the beginning was not whether to deploy or not, but how to attack in order to inflict the worst damage on the enemy.

After a brief but heated debate, it was decided that all the ships in Hamhung would sortie, except for one.

“The cruiser Yangmu will remain behind because it has the important task of defending Hamheung and Heungnam ports and their outer waters. The remaining destroyers Baekdu, Geumgang, Samgak, Jiri, Halla, and Myohyang will all be dispatched for this operation to assist the Russian-Soviet cruiser fleet and destroy all enemy transport ships!”

“at las!”

“Viva!”

The officers of the Naval Department of the Marshal’s Office were so excited that they all cheered.

That is understandable, since they had not undertaken any significant operations since their orderly withdrawal from Wonsan.

Of course, we had to make up for the training that was lacking even during the war, so we went out to sea for a while to do fleet maneuver training and shooting training, but it was not enough to satisfy those thirsty for battle.

This organization called the Navy, made up of rough seamen, has had to watch foreign fleets roaming their waters without permission for decades.

We had to watch as Japanese fishing boats arbitrarily invaded our territorial waters and fished as they pleased, beating and killing those who tried to stop them, and even pillaging entire villages.

And only in a few years did we finally have an army, a navy, that could protect the seas.

The seafarers volunteered for the Korean Navy, an organization that directly succeeded the Joseon navy, the descendants of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, without giving it much thought.

Even though they were blatantly presented with the recruitment slogan, “The pay is low, and all you get is honor,” they said it didn’t matter and stepped into the rough sea.

For them, it was too painful to just kill time in the safe rear without doing anything like that.

Although the turtle ships and panokseons no longer exist, the Korean Navy, which inherited their spirit, needed to show something to the Japanese who were roaming the seas at will and trampling on our country.

“Our cannons and torpedoes have been silent for a long time! It is time for our Korean Navy, which calls itself the descendant of Admiral Yi Sun-sin, to roar and declare who is the ruler of the sea! Let’s send those Japanese into the abyss of the deep sea! Guide them!”

In front of everyone who had already prepared to set sail, Navy Vice Admiral Jang Gi-ryeom shouted.

Unlike his usual appearance of being dressed in a stylish French naval officer’s uniform, he came out this time wearing a simple combat uniform, saying that he would also participate in the operation, and the officers and sailors cheered at his appearance.

So they set sail for their first battle.

In that vast ocean, in the deep abyss, they did not know what was lurking, but they willingly went forward with only the enthusiasm and high morale to achieve the first victory over their enemies.

***

“You fools, you are so gullible.”

Chief Cho Dong-yoon, with a sinister smile, was carrying out a deception by properly hijacking the telegraph network connecting Wonsan and Heungnam to the Sasebo naval base in Japan.

In Heungnam, this deception was possible thanks to the suppression of spies by the Records Investigation Office and the National Military Police, and in Wonsan, thanks to the telegraph facilities initially secured by the Army and Navy while suppressing the residents’ association and garrison.

“The Russian cruiser fleet sent a telegram saying, ‘After resupplying at Hungnam, they have set sail for Vladivostok.’”

“What’s the reply?”

“They’re already here. Continue to conduct surveillance and reconnaissance missions.”

They were idiots. Information warfare is the key to future warfare, and the Japanese military appears to be both advanced and backward at the same time.

Even though they had installed telegraph facilities in Wonsan and were thoroughly transmitting information about this place to their own army and navy, they were unable to destroy them properly, and the current situation continued.

The Japanese Imperial General Headquarters had no idea what was happening in the northeast.

They thought that Wonsan was also in their hands, and that Hamheung would not be able to escape their gaze either.

However, Jo Dong-yoon was confident that as long as he was there, all their evil plans would be blocked.

“If our fleet appears in the waters off Busan together with the North Korean fleet, I will be shocked and dumbfounded.”

“They’re really good prey. It’s a shame that I won’t be able to see them get taken care of with my own eyes.”

Cho Dong-yoon said while smoking a cigarette. Perhaps the two old Japanese protected cruisers stationed in Busan would be a good target for revenge for the Russian Navy.

The Japanese fleet in Busan would probably have judged that the Russian Navy had not come through this deception, and would have acted quite aggressively, thinking that our Navy was operating alone.

“And then those guys get caught in the nets we set up…”

“Director, we have received a telegram from Sasebo. A convoy will arrive in Busan today or tomorrow.”

“Okay. Let the Navy know about that too.”

He let out a small laugh as he continued to collate the incoming information.

In a place he never expected, he was determined to mercilessly stab Japan in the most painful spot.

***

Operating the fleet was not as easy as one might think, especially in the East Sea in winter.

The fleet was sailing at an average speed of 15 knots.

The destroyers were unable to reach their full speed due to the strong waves of the East Sea, and since the maximum speed of the Russian Navy’s cruisers was only 20 knots, it was necessary to adjust it appropriately.

However, the distance of 650 km could easily be covered in 24 hours. Unlike people or horses, ships were huge machines that could run day and night without stopping.

But the problem was not the distance. No matter how much training they received in France and how many times they practiced ship maneuvers right up until the war, it was the ‘minor but undeniable mistakes’ that occurred when they entered actual combat.

There were several close calls between the Vladivostok Cruiser Fleet’s fleet formation and the Korean Empire Navy’s Destroyer Squadron’s formation, and there were also frequent instances of ships using steam boiler-type reciprocating engines failing to maintain speed properly and breaking ranks.

Unlike cruisers, the small 300-ton destroyers often experienced a loss of speed when waves got even slightly higher.

These are minor things in the current situation where there is no fighting, but they are things that cannot be ignored.

“Just now, Samgak and Myohyang almost collided.”

“Hmm.”

Admiral Jang Gi-ryeom was more aware than anyone else of the shortcomings of the Korean Navy.

But this was much worse than I thought. No, maybe it was because the East Sea in winter was so rough.

“Wow, it wasn’t like this when I was going back and forth from Jemulpo to Shanghai.”

The waves were so rough that even experienced officers and sailors found it difficult to endure.

For those who had mostly sailed in the relatively calm West Sea, the East Sea was a truly refreshing shock.

“The Russian cruisers are coming from a distance.”

“That makes sense.”

While the destroyer squadron formed a rough line and advanced, the Russian cruisers followed behind at a distance of about a kilometer.

The Russian naval liaison officer dispatched from the cruiser fleet said that it was right to form a column and proceed, but it was impossible not to know their true intentions.

“If we can’t even maintain formation properly in the first place, how can we possibly follow them closely? Even I wouldn’t be able to do that.”

Rear Admiral Jang Gi-ryeom spoke as he looked out at the vast ocean far away from the bridge of the No. 1 ship, Baekdusan, which could be called the flagship of the destroyer squadron.

“That’s sad.”

“That’s the reality of the new navy. That’s why the main office said as soon as the war broke out, ‘The only thing our Korean Navy can do now is to find a way to die as coolly as possible.’ That’s not an empty promise. It’s a statement based on reality.”

With the addition of Naval Commander Jang Gi-ryeom and a Russian Navy liaison officer to the bridge of the originally small ship, it was even more bustling than usual.

“Even with a fleet like this, we must do everything we can.”

“Even when I was learning at Tokyo Merchant Marine School, I had no idea that we would be operating ships like this.”

The captain, Navy Vice Admiral Shin Sun-seong, coughed in the cold sea air and spoke.

“I would tremble every time I saw their large ships waving the Japanese flag. I was afraid that their guns and torpedoes would be aimed at us.”

Jang Gi-ryeom was the same way. If war broke out, the discussion at the Marshal’s Office a few years ago was that the sea should be completely abandoned and fighting on land should be considered.

Fortunately, thanks to the wise military director, the emperor who was somewhat enthusiastic about the navy, and the slush funds he had kept, they were able to build a small fleet, so the situation changed like heaven and earth compared to before.

Of course, after the withdrawal to Hamheung, some cabinet members and several army officers of the Marshal’s Office seriously discussed the idea of ​​removing all of the naval guns and using them on land, as the small fleet could not face the Japanese large fleet.

Every time that happened, Jang Gi-ryeom and Lee Dong-hwi would get angry and strongly protest, saying that the Navy only thought about dying at sea, not on land.

Here, Chief of Staff of the Marshal Department Lee Do-jae and Commander-in-Chief of the Three Provinces Army Lee Gyu-tae also sided with the Navy, arguing that their mere presence could intimidate the enemy.

Well, I don’t know if it helped, but the emperor was also furious, saying that he was disbanding the navy that he had created with his own money.

“I see. Captain, how are things now?”

“It’s the best. Even though it’s a small destroyer, proudly raising the Taegeukgi and sailing the sea with pride is the glory of a sailor.”

He said, looking at me with eyes full of fighting spirit.

“A young naval officer in France told me that. He was Emile Mueslier or something. He was also assigned to the Annam Fleet, and we talked about this and that while sailing together.”

“What did he say?”

“If the Korean Navy, which had only six destroyers, were to fight the Japanese Navy, it would inevitably face annihilation, so I asked why they were so desperate.”

“So what did you say?”

Was it because I remembered the young French naval officer looking quite embarrassed?

Shin Soon-seong answered with a smile on his face.

“There is no need for consequential number games in the face of fate’s decision, and the only difference is whether to confront it or to comply. And the reason why humans are strong is because they choose how to confront it rather than comply with the fate that has been set for them. When I was studying in France, I once heard about Greek fatalism.”

“What a wonderful saying.”

“Isn’t that a typical Navy commander trying to find a way to die gracefully?”

He replied with a joke.

Jang Gi-ryeom realized for the first time that Captain Shin Sun-seong, who had always been reserved, could speak so freely.

“Anyway, my mind is still the same. No matter how large the enemy fleet is, no matter how many huge cannons and ships they bring, I will fight until the end. If you can understand the enemy, you will know how to deal with them.”

“You are more than enough for me, Captain. Perhaps you will be the one to lead the Imperial Navy.”

Chief Jang Gi-ryeom looked at him as if he was truly impressed and said:

Like the military commissioner we saw when we were fighting pirates, there were generations in this country that we could pin our hopes on.

And with them, I even thought that it wouldn’t matter if I died on the battlefield at any time.

“You are too kind.”

“By the way, how did that French kid react to your words?”

“He apologized. He said he had underestimated our fighting spirit and patriotism. When I see that, I realize that France is truly a great country. They say it’s about freedom, equality, and fraternity.”

“I hope this ship will also display the spirit of its birth country.”

They laughed for a long time, and I could see the night slowly approaching over the East Sea.