Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 225



Only Noblemtl

#225. Sedan and Austerlitz (2)

If Pyongyang, the core of the northwestern defense line, was supported by the supply base at Jinnampo, the Japanese army should have stepped in now and taken it away.

If we had struck it early, we would not only be able to completely destroy the additional operational capacity of the North Korean soldiers, but also give considerable flexibility to the supply of supplies to our troops, which was currently in short supply.

“Is this information confirmed?”

“It is a cross-checked fact. In addition, the defense troops of Jinnampo were re-mobilized to defend Pyongyang, so it seems that there are not many troops left. It seems that they are relying on the Taedong River alone to make a fuss.”

Do you think the Taedong River will protect your life?

Lieutenant General Asada was so dumbfounded that he couldn’t even laugh anymore.

I couldn’t figure out what the 12th Division was doing against these sloppy guys.

So I even thought, isn’t it scientific that we hear people say that the Joshu guys are so weak?

“In addition, it is said that German merchant ships entered Jinnampo this morning and unloaded supplies.”

“Merchant ships of German nationality?”

“Yes, they seem to have come from Kyojuman, and they seem to have brought a lot of supplies. Wouldn’t it be a good time to do so now that they have vacated Jinnampo?”

‘Ah, now I finally have a military achievement to boast about as the new commander of the Guards Division.’

A good commander had to seize the enemy’s mistakes and run wild.

A very good opportunity has come to break the defensive situation that has existed so far.

He decided to prepare a new offensive, ignoring the orders of Lieutenant General Kuroki, the commander of the 1st Army. Moreover, he did not want to hand over the credit to other divisions commanded by the Choshu guys.

Lieutenant General Asada took a deep breath and raised his voice in front of the division staff officers, brigade commanders, and regimental commanders who were all gathered there.

“Commanders and staff officers of the brave Guards Division! We have now come to the greatest hour of choice! The enemy’s main force has gathered most of its forces in Hwangju in preparation for our coming to Zhonghua. However, we will not move as the enemy thinks. The 2nd Brigade will advance toward Zhonghua as planned, but deceive the enemy into thinking that the division’s main force is coming.”

“Understood, Commander.”

“And hold the enemy stationary so that they cannot cross Hwangju and invade Sariwon. When the 1st Army’s follow-up units arrive, break the enemy’s lines together and advance. Then, the 1st Brigade will cross the Taedong River with the division’s main force and advance to Jinnampo. We will quickly overwhelm the enemy’s defenses, seize the supply base, and surround the 1st Army before they attack Pyongyang.”

“All right!”

The majority nodded to his plan. The atmosphere was that the Korean military was seen as an easy sacrifice.

However, some of them were cautious.

“Commander, there is a lot of snow piled up right now. If we advance with some leeway, then…”

“Ah! Time, only time can save our Japanese Empire! There is a little snow on the way, but with our strong will to attack and mental strength, we can overcome it. Stop complaining!”

“Commander, I don’t know about the infantry, but the artillery will be a problem. If the artillery arrives on time, we will be able to effectively confine the enemies trapped in Pyongyang. It would be okay to advance with a day or so to spare. The 12th Division’s advance unit has probably not even arrived in Gaeseong yet.”

“Let the artillery follow slowly. We will begin mobilizing tomorrow morning, so each unit should feed their subordinate units well and give them rest.”

The division commander, ignoring any objections, formulated an extremely aggressive plan.

Lieutenant General Asada looked down at the map with a confident expression.

Now Pyongyang was really within reach.

The hour of judgment was approaching, and it would be revealed to the Joseon bastards who dared to reject their fate while carrying Roske on their backs.

***

“Commander, our cavalry company has encountered an enemy reconnaissance party. The company commander was wounded, but they were able to repel them. And while chasing the enemy, they found the Hwangju completely empty.”

“what?”

After breakfast, we were about to divide into units and advance in earnest when an urgent report came in from the commander of the cavalry regiment. And the news they delivered was a series of surprises.

There will be a battle with the Roske cavalry, and an encounter with the Joseon scout cavalry.

However, the encounter with the enemies was not so dramatic.

They would retreat immediately after a brief battle, as if they had no idea what their intentions were or that they would advance so quickly.

Even the cavalry commanders who had initially attempted to advance cautiously were now all advancing with brisk strides, shouting, “The enemy is nothing!”

“No, why is Hwangju, which was said to be the first line of defense against the enemies, empty?”

“It is said that the friendly cavalry company that advanced north of Hwangju has clearly confirmed it. It seems that the main enemy force that departed from Pyongyang has not yet arrived.”

“······!”

“This will allow us to take control of the pine forest, Commander.”

The commanders of the 1st and 2nd Guards Regiments spoke with delight.

“If we land through the pine forest, it will be very advantageous for us. It is at most 1km long, and a good spot is about 700m away. At this level···”

The entire 1st Brigade, which they belonged to, was already under high stress because they had to cross the Daedong River, which was about 2km on average.

As winter approaches, the lower reaches of the Taedong River are beginning to freeze over, and the longer the crossing distance, the more vulnerable one becomes to enemy artillery fire.

And the Guards Division had also been given sufficient warning about the enemy’s artillery.

They were armed with the latest French-made field guns, so they said that their artillery was qualitatively superior to their own, albeit temporarily.

If nothing else, we had to be careful about enemy artillery.

“It is much more stable than the area we chose as our previous base for Doha. In addition, Songnim has a small port that can cross the Taedong River.”

As they said, the crossing distance through the pine forest could be shortened to less than 1 km. This was a huge tactical advantage for the Japanese army, which was pressed for time.

“If we use existing ports, we can reduce our dependence on pontoon bridges.”

The commander of the Guards Engineer Regiment also smiled as he looked down at the map.

The materials needed to build the bridge were being delayed due to poor logistics problems.

Because of this, I was worried that we might have to build a raft using all the wooden boats and building materials available locally and set up a temporary pontoon bridge.

If the enemy retreats on their own and we can enter the pine forest, the burden on the Guards Engineer Regiment will be greatly reduced.

Above all, the fact that it could provide flexibility in the attack on the Jinnampo area thanks to the relatively safe transportation route was also very attractive.

“It seems that the enemy has become frightened by the deep penetration of our cavalry.”

“Perhaps the enemy’s forces are smaller than we expected. They may have judged that by effectively reducing the defensive line, they can concentrate their firepower.”

The Japanese military was also preparing itself after hearing that Major General Roman Kontrachenko, who was considered the most threatening among the Roske generals, had personally come down last year to teach the Korean military how to build fortified positions.

That is why there were many who had doubts. Representative examples were the 3rd Guards Regiment commander and the 4th Guards Regiment commander under the 2nd Brigade.

“But that doesn’t mean we can just abandon the concrete fortifications that we imported so easily. If even just one battalion had been stuck there… it would have been difficult to move like we are now. This could be an enemy trap. Shouldn’t we be more cautious than we are now? No matter how pressing the clock is, it’s better to rush in and suffer a crushing defeat than to do so in a hurry.”

“Besides, the order given by the 1st Army Commander to our division was not to capture Pyongyang, but to lay the foundation for the entire 1st Army to secure a favorable position for an offensive by passing the siege. This goes beyond the commander’s orders.”

They insisted that rather than launching an immediate offensive in accordance with the orders of the 1st Army Commander, they should advance gradually, join up with follow-up units, and work to lay the foundation for an all-out offensive against Pyongyang through a successful advance as originally planned.

Of course, commanders of the 1st Brigade, who were as aggressive as themselves, immediately refuted their claims.

“No, no! Gentlemen, we are not here for a picnic. We cannot afford to give the enemy any time to relax. We must attack now so that we can gain the upper hand while the enemy is unable to do anything!”

“The 1st Army Commander doesn’t know the current situation on the ground. In any case, if we can exploit the enemy’s mistakes and take control of the enemy’s supply facilities at Jinnampo or at least render them unusable, we can ultimately give momentum to the 1st Army’s offensive.”

The brigade commander and regimental commander were arguing like this.

Lieutenant General Asada also had some concerns about the words of the 2nd Brigade commanders. If Hwangju’s defense line was strong, seizing Songnim would also be no easy task, but the enemy did not do so.

So the question was what he was thinking and what made him make that choice.

“How do you judge, Commander?”

“I don’t know what the enemy is thinking, but it can’t be a coincidence that we’ve had these opportunities come our way. There must be something seriously wrong with their defenses.”

“That could be a trick. You have to be careful.”

“We’ll have to wait and see if that trick can be used against our army, which is starting to rush towards a full-scale assault. We’ll just force our way through. After passing Hwangju, the 2nd Brigade will advance to Junghwa via Heukgyo and capture the enemy’s reinforcement brigade. In the meantime, the 1st Brigade will take control of Songnim, cross the river, and take control of the enemy’s supply facilities and port at Jinnampo.”

I don’t know all the intentions of the Joseon people, but I judged that this was not a trick, but simply a mistake by the enemy.

Although they had prepared a lot in various ways, actual experience would have held them back.

Unlike the Imperial Japanese Army, which had honed its skills in the wars against the Qing, the Joseon people were nothing more than children.

“Everyone, keep this in mind. Since the enemy has completely destroyed our transport fleet off the coast of Busan, we must take the supply lines for the First Army from the enemy.”

He was already excited by the news that German merchant ships were unloading supplies in Nampo and that a considerable amount of them were going to Pyongyang. If the Koreans had destroyed all their supplies, they had no choice but to requisition them locally.

“The direction of this war depends on us. If the 1st Army Commander had been aware of our situation, he would have made the same judgment as I did.”

Besides, the 1st Army Commander and the division commander are of the same rank anyway.

Although Lieutenant General Kuroki was his superior in terms of position, he was somewhat confident because the Guards Division Commander himself was of the same rank.

“This place will be a hotbed for the Joseon bastards. We can teach a hot lesson to those insolent writers who have imitated the body of Russia and the spirit of France. From now on, each unit is to advance as instructed.”

He started throwing his winning moves early.

Perhaps it is the dice that can decide the fate of the early stages of the war.