Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 217



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#217. Time race (2)

Amidst the complex sounds of telegraph equipment and mechanical noises tickling the ears, a telegram from the headquarters flew towards the commander of the 1st Army in Gyeongseong.

The officer who received it immediately reported the matter to the Chief of Staff, who then brought it back to the commander after organizing it so that he was very pleased with it.

And Commander Kuroki 1st Army sighed deeply as he looked at the telegram in front of him. This was because he had received news he had not been waiting for.

Commander Kuroki summoned not only his subordinate division commanders and brigade commanders, but also Hasegawa, who had come in as the difficult commander of the Korean garrison forces, to the headquarters located in Yongsan.

The commanders, who were busy reorganizing the damaged units, gathering supplies, and gathering the scattered troops in Jemulpo, Gunsan, and Busan to the Gyeongseong area, were puzzled by the sudden call from their commander, but they gathered at Yongsan on time.

“Commander, what is happening?”

“The headquarters sent a telegram, and it’s full of bad news. Gentlemen, which would you rather hear first, the bad news or the worse news?”

Seeing Commander Kuroki say that, I kept my mouth shut, thinking that whatever I heard would be something heart-wrenching.

Commander Hasegawa of the garrison already seemed to know the inside story, and just stared into space with a half-resigned expression.

“Well, let me start with the bad news… Our transport fleet in Busan was attacked by the enemy fleet and was destroyed.”

“···yes?”

Lieutenant General Nishijima Sukeyoshi, the 2nd Division Commander, asked back as if he had misheard something.

“A transport convoy heading to Busan from Hiroshima Ujina Port was ambushed by the enemy fleet and completely destroyed, and all cruisers belonging to the 7th Squadron in Busan were destroyed during the rescue. Although the damage has not yet been reported from the Imperial Headquarters, it is estimated that at least 4,000 people, including the 3rd Brigade of the 2nd Division and the reserve infantry corps that were transported, have been killed.”

But what came back was an answer that contained even more certain information than before. And it was also the most desperate information for the First Army in Gyeongseong.

It was also added that 8 out of 18 ships were sunk and 10 ships suffered more than moderate damage.

Hasegawa was able to hear a bit more detailed information first thanks to the survivors who had already joined the reserve infantry unit.

It was said that the number of casualties increased exponentially because the enemy attacked three transport ships full of soldiers with torpedoes.

So at least 4,000 soldiers drowned or went missing in the waters off Busan.

Even if they managed to make it to the port alive, they said there was nothing they could do because they were short on supplies.

“This is a disaster for both the 23rd Brigade and the 2nd Brigade.”

“···Damn. What the hell did the Navy do?”

Director Kikoshi spoke briefly, cursing. I wondered if this was the reason they had imposed such harsh media control.

‘Those stupid Satsuma bastards, let alone controlling the seas, can’t even properly defend the transport fleet for the army.’

He secretly enjoyed chewing out the incompetent Satsuma faction.

When he indirectly criticized the Satsuma faction, Commander Hasegawa and the commander of the Imperial Guard Division looked at him blankly, but he completely ignored their gazes.

No, in the first place, the ones who should be angry right now are not them, but themselves who have to fight on the ground right now. The 23rd Brigade has not yet recovered from the damage it suffered in the Battle of Gyeongin-do.

The total casualties in the Battle of Juansan were approximately 4,000, half of which came from the 23rd Brigade.

That is why the transport fleet that was destroyed this time was definitely a necessary force for the 12th Division.

If the reserve infantry of about 4,000 men had been supplemented, not only the 23rd Brigade but also the Korean reserve forces could have been supplemented in the long term to deal with any possible threats from the rear.

However, most of those troops and supplies had already been lost in the sea off Busan, so there was nothing they could do.

“Shouldn’t we postpone the offensive scheduled for November 13th···”

There was silence as someone’s trembling voice was heard. It was probably the 2nd Division Commander.

Even the commander of the Guards Division, who had insisted on an immediate offensive just a few days ago, hesitated for a moment.

“Maybe I should be serious about that. The headquarters must be aware of our situation too…”

The 12th Division Commander also tried to calm his trembling voice. He had suffered such a shock in the battle, and it would be quite difficult to advance to Pyongyang, where the enemy’s main defense line was lurking, as planned.

The thought crossed their minds that not only the real enemies, the Korean and Russian armies, but also the abnormally low temperatures that had been on the rise since the beginning of the year, would be afflicting them.

“What a series of truly amazing wars. At least we know that the Joseon bastards are a much better opponent than the Chinese bastards.”

Lieutenant General Asada Nobuoki, commander of the Imperial Guards Division, shrugged. Surprisingly enough, the casualties they had suffered in just three days of the war were comparable to the total casualties they had suffered in the entire war with the Qing, which was around 5,000.

The shock was so great that immediately after the battle, the Imperial Headquarters directly stepped in and prohibited reporters from covering the battle.

Reports on casualties were completely censored, and harsh measures were taken against those who violated this, including expulsion from the war correspondents’ corps or, in severe cases, detention.

But this was only temporary. The worst news that had occurred off the coast of Busan could no longer be ignored.

It was no small feat, as they were struck down in a place they thought was their rear.

“And, Commander, if this is bad news, I have a feeling that the worse news will be so terrible that I don’t even want to imagine it.”

He looked at Commander Kuroki, who was sitting at the head of the table, and said with a bit of sarcasm.

“I believe that the headquarters did not order us to delay the offensive and come out in December.”

“If we launch an offensive now, the divisions that have suffered significant damage will not be able to perform their duties.”

“But you know that if you delay, you will have to face another enemy, right, General Inoue? Can you handle the reinforced Joseon soldiers, Rosuke, and the severe cold? December will come soon. The winter in northern Joseon is extremely harsh.”

“That’s why we need to buy time to prepare for it. We need time to call additional transport ships to the headquarters and gather winter supplies!”

Commander Kuroki made a displeased expression as he watched the division commanders of the 1st Army clashing over every little thing. He sighed as he saw them fighting among themselves, even though they were all members of the same 1st Army.

“With that out of the way, I will inform you of the orders that the headquarters gave to our 1st Army.”

Of course, he had no intention of judging right and wrong or anything like that. There was no reason to waste time on such things, so Commander Kuroki continued speaking.

“The headquarters is aware that the current situation is not easy, but we have decided that it is necessary to quickly secure the road leading to Pyongyang and Uiju.”

“So, does that mean we are ordered to go on the offensive immediately?”

“That’s right. The Imperial General Headquarters has ordered us to proceed quickly with the attack on Pyongyang. Since the Emperor’s Day is just around the corner, our First Army is to take the lead and secure the most joyful gift that can be presented to His Majesty the Emperor.”

The order given by the Imperial General Headquarters was to launch a full-scale offensive against Pyongyang starting on November 3, the day of the Great Patriotic War.

This was the only solution that could be devoured immediately after destroying 18 transport ships.

Naturally, the 1st Army staff, as well as the 12th and 2nd Division commanders, began to object.

“Your Majesty, Commander! The headquarters is currently unaware of the local situation. You must refuse this offensive order, Commander.”

“The 12th Division Commander is right. If we move to attack now, the subversive forces may target this place. We need to call in additional troops and gather more supplies.”

“You are saying such frustrating things. If we don’t take Pyongyang now, our army will be finished! The South Korean army claims to have 100,000 men and a reserve force of 300,000, but if we give them time, they will immediately come down. We are in the same situation as during the Sino-Japanese War! Are you saying that we should just sit here and not make up for the lost time?”

Of course, the commander of the Guards Division immediately raised his voice in agreement with the will of the headquarters and said that they should launch an offensive.

He firmly believed that the indecisive Choshu guys were leading the army and that was why things were like this, and he had been advocating an all-out offensive against the Joseon guys from the beginning.

“During the Sino-Japanese War, our 9th Mixed Brigade was in the same situation. We had to fight while completely trapped by the Qing forces in Asan and Pyongyang. But how did our brave Imperial Army respond? We suppressed them by defeating them individually. We defeated the enemy forces on the Gyeongin Highway, and the enemy units in Jeolla and Gyeongsang provinces have also disappeared, so now is the time to launch an attack.”

“Listen, Guards Division Commander. What kind of stupid subversive force in the world would move in a place where the enemy’s main force is active? The enemy forces in Gyeongsang and Jeolla provinces are waiting for an opportunity. They are probably preserving their main force somewhere and just waiting for us to leave for Pyongyang.”

The 12th Division Commander also did not back down, but raised his voice and directly confronted the Guards Division Commander’s claim to attack.

Look at those stupid Satsuma guys who were only focused on the sea, using the Imperial Guard Division like their playground and then arrogantly sneaking a spoon into the army’s operations.

Lieutenant General Inoue Hikari was determined to teach this idiot Satsuma a lesson.

“Never underestimate the enemy. They have been preparing for the past 10 years to completely tear us apart. What our 1st Army should do now is not to attack Pyongyang, but to expand our actual control area, which is just a series of points.”

“That would be overestimating the enemy. Our Guards Division’s infantry brigade, artillery, cavalry, and engineers would be able to destroy the enemy’s defense line in an instant! Furthermore, the enemy had some luck on the Gyeongin Expressway. The ROK brigade commander was excellent in military affairs, but they simply took advantage of the excellent terrain to inflict damage. If we do not let our guard down in Pyongyang and engage in battle earnestly, such a tragedy will never happen again.”

In fact, this was tantamount to insulting the 12th Division, which had suffered heavy casualties in the battle, so the mood turned tense for a moment.

However, when the commander of the Hasegawa garrison, who was fighting alongside them, glared at the commander of the Guards Division with an expression of displeasure, the commander of the Guards Division admitted his mistake and took a step back.