Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 212



Only Noblemtl

#212. Glorious Days of the Navy (5)

The transport convoy was attacked by wolves disguised as destroyers and was on the verge of complete collapse.

Until just a moment ago, they had the luxury of leisurely sailing towards Busan while forming a fleet-like formation.

Six destroyers suddenly appeared from the right flank of the fleet and began to turn sharply towards them at the maximum speed they could achieve.

The number of ships increased from two to four, and soon to six, and they formed a somewhat haphazard but well-organized formation and attempted to approach the convoy.

The transport fleet, seeing this sight, initially slowed down because they thought that ships had rushed out from Busan to escort them.

Well, that makes sense.

You would never have thought that a Russian ship, or even the navy of the Korean Empire, which you had only heard of, would come to this distant sea.

But as the distance between the two sides gradually grew closer, and they saw that the national flag hanging from the mast was not the Rising Sun Flag they were familiar with, but the flag of a country currently at war, they could not help but reproach themselves for their lack of imagination.

War is a collection of absurdities, where unimaginable or nonsensical things happen all the time.

After hastily sending a distress call to all nearby Japanese naval ships by telegraph, they ignored the request to stop and began to run towards Busan, which they believed was still safe, at an increased speed.

Looking at it, Jang Gi-ryeom chuckled at the thought that his current actions were similar to those of the pirates he had subdued a few years ago.

‘Is this why people commit piracy?’

Somehow, I felt like I could understand them a little bit.

Everyone looked at the commander, Lieutenant General Jang Gi-ryeom, and he instinctively felt that he had to say the right words at this moment.

As the rough seas of the South Sea mercilessly beat against the open-air bridge and deck, most of the sailors, including the captain, got soaked as if they were drowning rats.

But no one complained about it, and they just waited for the commander’s next instructions.

Jang Gi-ryeom did not turn away from the wishes of his brave subordinates. He immediately cleared his throat and spoke to the officers and sailors.

“Brave officers and sailors of the Korean Navy! Soon, a battle will break out on this sea with the enemy. Our Korean Navy is looking for the most elegant place to die, but today is not that day. Today, we will hunt down the enemy’s helpless transport ships one by one. So, everyone, carry out your assigned duties accurately and calmly. Gunners, do not waste even a single shell, and engineers, do your best to maximize the power output of your ships! If a fire breaks out, report it immediately to the captains of each ship. Do not leave a single spark, not a single ember.”

Up until this point, it was close to the level of nagging that all captains, deckhands, and officers could do.

But what he really wanted to say was in the next verse.

“So, let us all do everything we can in our positions. Let us fight until the last man, the last shot, is left. Even if only one ship, even only one sailor, survives, there is hope for this Korean Navy.”

He remembered part of the final speech that the captain of the Varyag had given to his sailors just before the battle at Jemulpo. Of course, the situation and developments were completely different now.

“Our victory is eagerly awaited by our country. Let us fight bravely for our court in Hamheung, His Majesty the Emperor, and the people, and for the brave soldiers of the army preparing for battle in Pyongyang! Hurray!”

“Hurrah! Hurrah!”

The officers and sailors clenched their fists in response to his words. It was the moment when the Korean Navy pulled out the strongest fist it could prepare for the Japanese Navy, which claimed to be the ruler of the Asian seas.

The speech, though very short, was over. And then the six destroyers formed a formation and began to advance toward the enemy fleet.

Again, the bridge began to get busy. Reports from the lookouts and orders from the captain and the vice-captain began to be handed down nonstop through the watchtower and the sergeant major.

“Captain! They are ignoring the signal to stop and are individually increasing their speed, rapidly changing course towards Busan!”

“Strike the lead enemy ship first. Proceed at full speed.”

“Yes! Engine room, full speed ahead!”

Captain Shin Soon-seong snickered. Even though he had sent a signal to the commander as a gentleman, giving him a choice, he refused and ran towards his own death. This was no different from chasing a rabbit.

The convoy tried to shake them off at the maximum speed they could, but unfortunately, it was nearly impossible to shake off the French destroyers, which boasted a top speed of 28 knots.

Of course, despite their body types that seemed burdensome to face, having to deal with the rough waves of the South Seas in contrast to the calm waves of the Mediterranean, the destroyers began to sail through it and head towards their hapless prey.

***

As the distance gradually grew closer, the gunners began to chatter their teeth. No matter how much they tried to boost morale and how the enemies were nothing, the burden of their first battle was terrifying.

From the moment the sergeant said he had spotted the enemy with his binoculars, his whole body seemed to tremble.

Immediately after, the tension reached its peak thanks to the captain’s command and the frantic ringing of the bell.

As a sailor, I’ve had a lot of experience drinking seawater, but the number of times I’ve set sail when the waves were this high was very small, and it was even more of a first for me to engage in a sea battle under such circumstances.

He was even worried about whether the fancy 47mm rapid-fire gun he was in charge of would be able to blow away the enemies.

“It’s quite spectacular.”

Still, most of the sailors, especially the officers, looked brighter than ever. Even a certain cadet, who had been scolded by the captain every day for being weak, was holding his journal and raising his head more bravely than ever.

For a while after the speech of Rear Admiral Jang, the commander of the Korean Navy and renowned for his subduing of enemy forces, the battlefield remained so quiet that it was strangely quiet.

It felt like being in the middle of a storm, a place where it was the calmest, but also foreshadowing the storm and waves that were to come.

“Fuck, it’s so cold.”

The ammunition man, covered in cold sea water, trembled and swore.

“Shh, be quiet.”

If he made a mistake and got into the eyes and ears of the gunner, who was called a mad dog, he would be in trouble, so he immediately warned the ammunition loader.

Of course, I couldn’t disagree with the part where he said it was ‘cold’. It was around the time when I had the foolish thought that maybe if we fought fiercely, it would be a little warmer.

“Hey, the gunnery is coming down.”

Finally, the gunner controlling the main and secondary guns extended his arm toward the main gunners and shouted, as if he had finally received the order he had been waiting for from the bridge.

“Prepare to fire!”

He looked ridiculous in his splendid naval uniform, soaked in seawater, but there was still a venomous look in his eyes.

“Fire the main gun!”

For a moment, time seemed to stand still, but the roar of the 75mm guns and the sound of shells falling on the deck came together.

And soon, the cannonball hit the enemy transport ship that was at the very front.

Then everyone started cheering and celebrating, but this was only the beginning.

“You little bastards, you’ve only just hit one! Reload and keep shooting!”

Soon, the same regular sounds of cannon fire and shell ejection as before began to be heard. And soon, the calm sea began to be filled with gunfire and explosions.

This sight was enough to make me forget the cold. As the distance grew closer, I could clearly see the Japanese flag fluttering on the enemy transport ship, and I could also vaguely see the enemy crew and infantry running around in confusion.

The smokestack of the enemy transport ship was hit by concentrated artillery fire, smoke flowed back, and soon black smoke began to cover it.

“Hahaha! Those kids really got me today!”

Pakang!

As the deckhand raised his voice in a loud voice, a counterattack came from the other side.

As the distance grew closer, the infantrymen on board the transport ship each brought out their rifles, as if they were responding.

“These shameless kids, hurt our young lady?!”

“Hey! What are you doing, you gunners? Kill all the Japanese sticking their heads out on the deck!”

The gunner who had been in charge of firing the main gun for a while now glared at the 47mm rapid-fire gun gunners on the other side.

At his venomous voice, everyone trembled, but their eyes lit up at the thought that they too could finally fire at the enemy ships.

“load!”

“Bomb!”

Without even a moment to think, he fired a high-explosive bomb at the deck of the enemy transport ship he was aiming at.

And then he pulled the trigger, ejected the smoking cartridge, loaded another smooth shell, and pulled the trigger again.

When I pulled the trigger during the first live-fire, my fingers couldn’t have been that heavy, but after doing it once or twice, I think I got used to it.

“Hit, hit!”

“Keep shooting in the same place!”

A voice of evil was heard. As the distance between them became closer, the high-explosive shells exploded, and the limbs of enemy infantrymen who had been firing back on the deck and the pieces of flesh that had once been human parts flew away.

While they were firing for a while, a wave suddenly came crashing in.

As the cold seawater touched the hot barrel of the rapid-fire gun, a ‘sizzle’ sound and a puff of steam rose, briefly obscuring the gunners’ vision and greatly disrupting their aiming and firing.

“Whoa!”

And without missing a single moment, the Japanese soldiers looked down from the deck and opened fire with rifle fire.

Several of the machine gunners and loaders on the front screamed, perhaps injured by the incoming bullets.

As the rapid-fire guns stopped firing for a moment, the enemy infantry, with their momentum, could be seen shouting and trying to find new targets.

As I was about to pull the trigger in a hurry, I could see that the enemy infantry had taken the right firing angle.

It was at a point where I felt like I would be helplessly beaten without even being able to swear.

“Bomb!”

I never knew that the voice of that terrible gunner could be so welcome.

A ‘thud!’ sound rang in my ears.

And then, a moment later, with the sound of a hull crushed by the blast and the pressure, several enemy infantrymen who had been fearlessly firing on the deck disappeared all at once, leaving behind only a few wreckage.

The gunner aimed the 75mm gun directly and blew away all the enemies crowded on the deck at once.