Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 224



Only Noblemtl

#224. Sedan and Austerlitz (1)

“Could it be the enemy···?”

“No, logically speaking, when would the enemy come here, and all the way to the rear? Could it be that they are either our own forces or a prank brought by the North Korean army?”

Everyone reacted as if they thought the enemy would never come all the way here, but Yoon Chi-seong had a slightly different opinion.

The Japanese military often conducted in-depth reconnaissance in fairly deep areas during the operational planning stage, and this was often carried out by cavalry regiments assigned to divisions.

And now that we’ve gotten to the point where we can almost see them with our naked eyes, we can definitely identify who they are.

“ah···.”

“Fuck, this is the enemy.”

Before I knew it, several cavalrymen were riding very fast, their hooves making a loud noise.

Thinking they had been completely taken by surprise and not knowing what to do with the enemy suddenly appearing from the rear, they shouted something and continued to head south.

“···Are you just going to leave?”

“···Did you think we were allies?”

They were cavalrymen who appeared to be numbered at least ten or so.

They lashed their horses as fast as they could and ran madly towards Sariwon.

“What are they saying to us?”

“The Roske are here, retreat now,” he shouted as he left. He said that Roske was everywhere in front of him.”

I was able to understand Yoon Chi-seong because he had studied abroad in Japan.

“And there are also cavalry following behind, so let’s join them and go.”

“Ugh.”

This also meant that enemies were just as spread out as our allies. I quickly opened the map, but there was no way out from this road.

It was a mistake to not have even considered that the enemy cavalry would have penetrated quite deep, but there was nothing we could do about it now.

“Everyone, calmly pretend to take care of the tired steed. If they ask me anything, I’ll answer.”

“Battle… Shall we prepare?”

“of course.”

The best thing to do is to mistake them for allies and pass through the darkness like before, but I’m not sure if my luck will continue to be on your side.

Everyone was pretending to take care of their own horses, fiddling with their lances and cavalry swords with nervous expressions, when a group of cavalrymen appeared again like before.

Unlike the cavalry that had passed by quickly earlier, a large group of people appeared to be coming from in front, led by a commander who appeared to be a company or battalion commander.

He immediately got off his horse and strode towards me, shouting.

“Why are you stopping here?”

“The horses were tired and were resting for a while.”

“It’s strange. There’s no other unit here that’s been deployed for reconnaissance besides us.”

And then it definitely seemed like we were getting closer.

“I think we got the wrong way. We’re not familiar with the geography here…”

But it seemed to have only increased his suspicions. The enemy commander’s voice began to contain a strong questioning tone, and as he drew closer, it became clear that he was now the enemy.

The military uniform, the rifle on the back, and the military horse were all different from those of the enemy.

“What are you guys?! What unit are you in? Who is your commander?”

“Sergeant? I think we’re screwed.”

I could hear the senior pastor quietly mumbling.

Even though his subordinate Yoon Chi-seong had a look on his face that said, “I’m screwed,” he gestured with his hand as if he had no other choice.

“Who are you guys?!”

Now the voice sounded like it was mixed with fear, along with doubt.

Although it was only for a moment, Yun Chi-seong shouted, thinking that the enemies might also lack information about this place, recalling the teaching that in cavalry warfare, the one who suppresses the momentum first is the one who overwhelms.

“Oh, I don’t know. We are the Korean Empire’s Reconnaissance Cavalry!”

“I, I, am the enemy!”

Section Chief Yoon Chi-seong immediately pulled out the pistol he had prepared in advance from his waistband and pulled the trigger.

bang!

The enemy commander also tried to draw his pistol from his waist, but was a step too late.

Almost simultaneously with the sound of the gunshot, Lieutenant Yun Chi-seong instinctively shouted as he watched the enemy commander fall down, clutching his thigh.

“Squadron! All horseback! Charge at the enemies!”

“Didn’t you hear what the platoon leader said?! Prepare to charge!”

The platoon members who had been pretending to take care of the horses until just a moment ago, climbed into the saddle as if nothing had happened and drew their cavalry swords.

“Blow the bugle! Quickly!”

The trumpeter began to blow his trumpet hastily.

The enemy cavalry was at a loss as to what to do.

It seemed that they could not decide whether to dismount and fire their guns according to the original doctrine, or to engage the enemy cavalry charging at close range with their own men.

The commander who was supposed to give the order had already been shot with a pistol and fell down.

The sound of cavalry swords being swung in the air was heard, and Pia’s cavalry and riders began to mix with each other.

And their screams and shouts were mixed with the neighing of horses.

***

Meanwhile, the Japanese army, having made their decision, began deploying their troops as quickly as possible.

The 1st Army secured the supply line between Gyeongseong and Gaeseong by scraping away at even the Gyeongseong garrison troops who had been detained in Yongsan, and attempted to launch a ground assault toward Pyongyang, led by the Guards Division.

As a result, Gyeongseong’s troops were practically empty except for about 1,000 troops belonging to the Korean Army.

Although Commander-in-Chief Hasegawa insisted on an offensive, he said that his own troops should not be deployed to defend the rear supply route or in case of a rebellion, but he could not withstand the pressure from Lieutenant General Kuroki and had to give up three of his reserve infantry battalions to the 2nd and 12th Divisions respectively.

Although he was quite a bluffer, it seemed very strange that the one who had been the most vocal about the offensive order from the headquarters was now retreating, so he provided a contingent of troops, crying and eating mustard.

Meanwhile, on November 3, the Japanese Guards Division was able to occupy Gaeseong without resistance on the occasion of Independence Day and quickly advance to Sariwon.

“Commander, this is called Sariwon.”

“Huh, they really all ran away.”

I heard that there was a major enemy defense facility here, so I sent a large number of cavalry deep into enemy territory to reconnoiter for quite some time, but there was no movement.

“Although one company has not yet returned, the cavalry platoon that arrived ahead of them says that there are Roske just 10km further north of Sariwon.”

“What about the enemy’s defenses?”

“There is one enemy infantry battalion in Hwangju. I think we can get more details from the cavalry company commander who will arrive.”

In general, the enemies seemed to have retreated north of Hwangju.

The presence of a small Russian cavalry force was a bit of a stretch, but given the state of the Russian army in Manchuria, I don’t think it would be a great deal.

“I think the commander is too worried.”

“But we still have to be careful in winter. Before winter sets in, we will occupy Pyongyang and Uiju, replenish our supplies, and head to Manchuria.”

There was only one thing that could stop their advance.

All that came was a winter that was much harsher than usual, and the snow that fell because of it.

“It almost seems as if the enemies fled on their own after seeing our strength on the Gyeongin Highway.”

Lieutenant General Asada couldn’t help but laugh as he watched his thoughts gradually come true. He had to go to Manchuria as soon as possible and defeat the Roske, but the enemy was just avoiding him.

‘I think it would be okay for our Guards Division to pass the military service alone, rather than the 1st Army Corps···.’

At this point, I was starting to get a little greedy, thinking that if I did this well, I could single-handedly take Pyongyang with the Guards Division and open up the entire road to Uiju.

“Commander! We have received some very important information from our units that entered Sariwon as advance troops.”

“What?”

“After interrogating local residents, we learned that the enemy’s main force moved from Pyongyang to Hwangju.”

“what?”

It seemed that the enemy forces, of which we had no information until then, were finally crawling out to Hwangju.

As if a tooth that had been aching had suddenly fallen out, seeing the enemies that had been hiding come out and fight against them made it seem like everything was certain.

“What number?”

“They say it’s two brigades in size. If that’s true, then it’s clear that two-thirds of the enemy’s main force known to be in Pyongyang has rushed out to defend the Hwangju-Junghwa area.”

“That’s very good.”

He said with a bitter laugh. Not knowing the intention of their passing, they probably rushed out in a hurry to defend the main advance route from Hwangju to Junghwa.

But their opponent was the Imperial Japanese Army, which was recognized by all as the most modernized and strongest army in Asia, and even within that army, the Imperial Guard Division was considered the most elite.

“Shouldn’t we tie up the enemy while waiting for the follow-up divisions? Wouldn’t the 1st Army Commander want to avoid a large-scale battle with the enemy, and instead wait for the entire follow-up force to destroy the enemy all at once?”

“That’s because the commander doesn’t know the situation on the front line properly. The enemy is now rushing to intercept us, and we have the best opportunity. While we pin down the enemy in Hwangju, if we turn some of our forces toward Jinnampo and directly attack the crossing and west of Pyongyang, we will be able to destroy the enemy’s main field force.”

“But, Commander, we need to be a little more cautious. The whereabouts of key enemy combat units, such as the enemy’s cavalry regiments and assault infantry regiments, are still unknown.”

Not only the division commander, but also the brigade commanders and regimental commanders could not help but feel nervous at the name. The enemy’s cavalry and assault infantry were quite difficult to deal with, and these were units directly controlled by the enemy’s command, Sunmuyeong.

“I think a little differently, Commander. The fact that the enemy has completely emptied Hwanghae-do also shows that their defensive tactical capabilities have been revealed. It is clear that they are giving up the relatively large Hwanghae-do and relying on the topographical conditions of South Pyongan Province and Pyongyang to operate their forces in a very defensive manner. Even though the cavalry and assault infantry regiments are elite, if the enemy’s defensive strategy continues, there will be nothing they can do.”

“It’s just an estimate, 1st Brigade Commander. We need more information. The argument for advancing without thinking is weak.”

“If we don’t do it now, we may miss the opportunity to destroy the enemy’s main force. Commander, even if our Guards Division does not occupy Pyongyang alone, we can go there first and prepare for an offensive, and then contribute to the flexible operations of the entire First Army.”

Opinions were clashing, and the commander of the Guards Division felt that the time had come to make a decision. And this series of decisions required something definite.

Just then, the returning cavalry officers reported something to the cavalry regiment commander, and he immediately smiled with delight.

“They say the enemy has accumulated supplies in Jinnampo. To be exact, it seems like the enemy’s supply base is here.”

“What? A supply base?”

“It is said that the enemy had stored a huge amount of supplies in the Jinnampo area before the war. Those who agreed to cooperate with us on the spot told us about it directly, and it is quite detailed. The problem is that those supplies are now being smuggled out toward Pyongyang…”

“This is a great opportunity.”

Vice Admiral Asada finally seemed to have made up his mind and stood up from his seat.