Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 223



Only Noblemtl

#223. Time race (8)

“The enemy will already know the importance of Jinnampo, and they will be greedy when they see our troops being easily pushed back by their ‘unexpectedly rapid offensive.’”

“Isn’t it too easy to assume the enemy’s actions?”

Of course, it would be strange if such a point wasn’t made. It’s as if they had map hacked it, since they were able to predict the enemy’s actions with such clarity.

But I had a clear reason for the Japanese military’s actions: it was the enemy’s very strange stance toward us.

“It is possible because the enemy underestimates us. They will think that we will use our internal strategy and utilize the rugged natural environment of Pyeongan Province like the 3rd Jin Guards Brigade that we fought against on the Gyeongin Road to deploy a very defensive force.”

In the first place, the northern part of Gyeonggi-do and the entire Hwanghae-do were emptied for that purpose. Of course, there was also the practical reason that the total number of troops was insufficient to cover the relevant areas.

“They probably think we’re relying on Pyongyang Castle for defense, just like the Qing army. They probably also keep in mind that we fortified it last year and this year with the support of Major General Roman Kontrachenko of the Russian Army.”

The enemies understood us so well that they underestimated us. It was truly ironic.

“We will defeat those enemies one by one. In particular, we need to first destroy those who crawled into Jinnampo.”

“Then, are you going to aim for the moment of crossing?”

“No, if we do that, we’ll only be able to catch the remaining fish. Their main force will all cross the river, and we’ll draw the enemies to a light linear defensive line in the Yonggang and Jinnampo areas.”

I said, drawing bold lines on the map with a colored pencil.

The staff officer preparing the map behind him was seen flinching.

I felt sorry for a moment because I must have gone through all the trouble to prepare the tactical map I requested, but it seemed like I had just drawn it with colored pencils and made it unusable.

“Are you saying that even if we concentrate our forces at Jinnampo, it won’t be enough?”

“Jinnampo will intentionally have a small number of troops.”

“You’re so reckless. I feel uneasy because you seem to be handing us over to the enemy so easily.”

“Hahaha. Commander, below, Jinnampo is a place where it would be difficult for a large number of enemies to push through. The interior is complex and consists of densely packed urban areas.”

I said with a smile. I had already experienced the damn street fighting in Langfang, but Jinnampo was on a whole other level.

“With a small force of troops, Maxim cannons, and artillery support, we will be able to withstand the enemy’s main attack for a long time.”

Compared to Langfang, the relatively dense buildings, wide streets, and complex alleyways were more than enough to create a hellish gateway for intruders.

“It may seem that Jinnampo is in great danger, but in reality it is our intention. We will induce the Japanese to make a hasty move against the weak right wing, and pin the enemy down in the city itself.”

If that happens, from the Japanese military’s point of view, our army’s right wing will appear to be very thin and long.

Naturally, you would assume that our defensive forces were not sufficient and were therefore stretched thin and long.

And the Japanese army will not miss such mistakes of their enemies. In the first place, they tend not to miss mistakes of their enemies and actively take advantage of them.

“While the enemy’s main force is caught in the linear defense lines of Yonggang and Jinnampo, we will deploy the cavalry regiment and assault infantry regiment, which are under the direct control of Sunmuyeong, to the exposed enemy flanks.”

They would each target the Japanese army’s crossing points, reserves, artillery, and engineering units. If they could intercept and destroy one axis of the mine pass, they would be able to cause a significant disruption to the Japanese army’s offensive against Pyongyang.

“If that happens, the friendly defense line in front, the cavalry and assault infantry on the flanks and rear, and the Taedong River will surround them. If that happens···”

“All enemies who cross here will be annihilated.”

“And this is my plan.”

I continued, slamming my fist on the table with a ‘bang!’

“This is our answer to those arrogant Japanese who are trying to make this place their own by following Moltke.”

The Japanese dream of a siege? If so, I will respond with Austerlitz.

And he was confident that the worst defeat the Japanese army had ever suffered could be brought forward to early November 1903.

“Only then will the enemy realize that they are not a rabble, but the proud army of the Korean Empire. If possible, after destroying the enemy, we can move the cavalry and assault infantry toward the center and devour the enemy that is facing us.”

Of course, it was pure greed to annihilate the enemy of China. It was only thanks to the Japanese military’s half-willing and half-involuntary special conditions that it was possible to attempt this, so I did not have the conscience to hope for more luck.

“Is this the French way, as you say?”

“Of course. Time is running out. We need to deploy our units before the enemy approaches.”

“The tactics of the cavalryman are complicated, requiring many things to be involved, but if it can just destroy one enemy formation… it is worth risking your life for.”

Unlike Min Yeong-hwan, who was still hesitating, Min Yeong-chan, the rest of the staff, and the field unit commanders nodded and agreed with my opinion.

“Above all, can’t you defeat your enemies in the field without avoiding battle? If you are a rider of a cavalry regiment, you will fight bravely.”

“Our 7th Brigade will also join in. What a brilliant plan it is to finally be able to destroy the Japanese that we were unable to destroy in the year of Gapshin.”

The elderly commander of the 7th Brigade, Lieutenant General Shin Tae-hyu, also clenched his fist and shouted.

“Okay. Anyway, the command here is up to the superintendent, so I’ll support the main office as well.”

Min Yeong-hwan, who had been hesitating for a while, finally agreed to my plan.

I looked at everyone with a satisfied expression, then immediately gave instructions to prepare methods to lure the enemies along with the deployment of the units.

With a sweet bait that hungry and hunted enemies can never refuse.

***

“I wonder if I arrived too late.”

“No, I arrived just in time. I was preparing a very spectacular stage for you all.”

Meanwhile, Major General Mischenko and his 2,000-strong reinforcement force, who had been eagerly awaited through Uiju, Sunan, and Pyongyang, arrived.

When the 10th Reserve Cavalry Regiment commanded by Lieutenant General Kim In-su was added, and about 5,000 troops were sent to Pyongyang, the Pyongyang government was in an uproar, saying that the long-awaited help had arrived.

Of course, there were some who looked terrified, saying that the Cossacks had come in, but they were more disciplined than I thought and didn’t cause any major incidents.

However, he just had a grim expression on his face and was silently holding a rifle and a lance in his hand.

“Major General Mischenko, this is Vice-Chief Kim Si-hyuk, Commander of the Korean Armed Forces.”

“I already know. I’ve heard rumors, but you look much younger than you are.”

He looked at me with an expression of indifference, along with his fearsome Cossack cavalry.

Of course, he was not foolish, as much as Kuropatkin believed in him.

“That’s how the enemies let their guard down. That’s not a bad thing.”

“Yeah, I’m excited since you’ve prepared a stage for us.”

“It’s a stage you won’t regret. It’s something that I couldn’t have done without you.”

I warmly welcomed those who arrived very timely. Of course, the Russian cavalry at that time was closer to mounted infantry than cavalry, but its mobility was a weapon that could not be ignored.

It was like rain in a drought, especially for our army, which only had one regular cavalry regiment.

Of course, it is still not possible to confirm whether they are truly superior in fighting ability or not, but at least their mere presence will be enough to make enemies tremble.

So I briefly explained the outline of this battle to Major General Mischenko and formally requested his cooperation.

“···Therefore, our army currently needs the active support of the Cossack cavalry commanded by General Mischenko.”

“It is certainly a bold operation. At the same time, it is also reckless. Do you think the enemy will come over so easily? They are not easy people.”

“Your presence will make things even more urgent. I strongly request that you deploy the two battalions of the 7th East Siberian Rifle Regiment that the General led to the Jinnampo area.”

“What about the two battalions of the Posiette Regiment?”

“Please send one battalion to the Chinese direction to support our army’s operations. I also request that the remaining battalions be actively deployed to reconnaissance of enemy lines starting today, if possible.”

He also asked Brigadier General Puchata to take charge of some of his troops.

I expected that he, who had a deep bond with our military and a high level of understanding, would be able to sufficiently reduce the gap between the two sides.

After hearing the map, the actual situation of the unit, and the story of the officers of the local army, including Brigadier General Puchata, who were there, he finally nodded.

“Good. I will fully support your country’s operation.”

“I am grateful that you are actively helping me even though you assessed that I am a mixture of boldness and recklessness.”

“Well, we came here to kill the enemies, you know. Shouldn’t we show those insolent brats what a real Siberian man is like?”

He was certainly as aggressive as I had heard. I held out my hand to him with a satisfied expression. At least, I could trust him with that level of aggressiveness.

Director Mischenko and I exchanged glances for a moment, holding hands.

“May this be our Borodino.”

These were the last words he spoke to me when we first met.

Immediately after, he passed me by in a flash.

There will soon be small-scale skirmishes between reconnaissance units, which can be considered an appetizer before a large-scale battle.

***

A group of cavalry units were advancing south through Pyongyang in the darkness.

They were accompanied by a detachment of Russian Cossack cavalry, as well as a reconnaissance unit dispatched from a Korean cavalry regiment.

The protagonist was the reconnaissance company directly under the command of the cavalry regiment commander.

Among them, Lieutenant Yoon Chi-seong, who was commanding the 1st Platoon, started to march through the snow that had started to fall a few days ago with a look of utter regret.

“If we had been in the main force, we could have expected a pretty big battle.”

The famous cavalry regiment commander, Kim Seok-jung, personally came to the reconnaissance company and gave them orders. He said to go and figure out the enemy’s intentions and at the same time, disrupt the reconnaissance itself.

“Hey, how can you give those fancy French breastplates to those country bumpkins from Hamgyong Province?”

These men, who were largely composed of cavalrymen called up from Seoul and Gyeonggi, felt that they were discriminated against in many ways compared to other cavalry squadrons.

“They gave the nice breastplates to the Hamgyeong-do guys, the nice horses to the Pyeongan-do guys, and gave us things like this.”

A while ago, there was a heated argument between the battalions over a breastplate that had been mistakenly purchased in France. Everyone was raising their voices, insisting that they should use it.

“We are a reconnaissance unit, and the breastplate is not suitable for such an operation. The reason we came here in the first place was to figure out the enemy’s intentions. If we had come wearing the breastplate, we would have arrived saying, “Time is passing, April is passing.”

Even as he scolded his subordinates, Lieutenant Yoon Chi-sung felt regretful inside. He himself had a strong desire to fight in a fancy cavalry battalion rather than a reconnaissance unit.

The flower of the cavalry regiment was always the four cavalry squadrons, and they were also known as the most splendid unit for breaking through and destroying enemy lines together with the assault infantry.

When I recalled the glory of those who had received various medals and awards during the Boxer Rebellion, I felt uneasy.

“What is that?”

“hmm?”

As I was walking, I heard the sound of something running towards me.

It was dark so I couldn’t see who they were, but something felt off.