Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 229



Only Noblemtl

#229. Sedan and Austerlitz (6)

The 17th Artillery Battalion of the 7th Brigade was eagerly awaiting orders from its brigade commander, having set up a position on the mountain on the right flank of Heukgyo Station.

I had a rough idea of ​​where they were, but I needed more definitive information.

Because it was impossible to carelessly expend precious shells just by relying on estimates.

“The exact location of the enemy artillery has not yet been confirmed.”

“It looks like they’re hiding in the forest on the enemy’s left flank, so why not try a wide-ranging artillery strike targeting the forest itself?”

“Then the shelling will become too inaccurate, and there is a high possibility that the enemy will counterattack.”

The staff, the artillery battalion commander, and even Shin Tae-hyu himself acknowledged that if there were enemy artillery, they had no choice but to be there.

But whether to launch a large-scale artillery attack there was another question.

“If not here, there is no place for enemy artillery. They are not stupid, and they would assume that there is friendly artillery, but they would not place artillery in that open plain.”

Since the harvest was just over and there was nothing to obstruct the view, it was even easier to guess.

“Brigade Commander, we have a rough idea of ​​the enemy artillery positions, so how about bombarding several candidate positions?”

The artillery battalion commander, frustrated with the situation, spoke while looking at the spread out map. He pointed with his finger at the points where the reference points had been calculated among the complex grid-like maps that the artillery battalion geodesy had created about half a year ago.

“There are three possible locations for enemy artillery, but according to what our observation team has confirmed, this place, the forest on the left wing, is the most likely location.”

“But doesn’t the forest seem to be quite large?”

“The last time the geodetic team measured the area, the width was 500m and the height was about 1,300m.”

“Isn’t it too wide to be destroyed by the firepower of an artillery battalion?”

“Absolutely not, Brigadier General!”

He continued speaking with wide eyes.

“The reference points on this map were originally calculated by our artillery survey team. Their mission is to draw reference points for our artillery to use, and to calculate the coordinates of open areas that can be used as schools, bridges, and gun positions. Also, the map shows places in the forest that can be used as gun positions.”

And there were many who could use that reference point, from reconnaissance companies assigned to each brigade to infantry commanders who needed to connect with artillery.

“Hmm.”

“The enemy’s location has not been determined yet, but if we bombard them according to the reference points selected by the geodetic team….”

Looking at the map, I saw two control points located behind the forest.

Shin Tae-hyu seemed to know where his confidence came from.

“We can destroy the enemy artillery. If you allow us, our artillery will fire here. We cannot allow the enemy artillery to operate any more freely.”

***

While the artillery battalion commander was making strong suggestions to Brigade Commander Shin Tae-hyu, the situation at the front line was gradually turning out as the enemy wanted.

A dense infantry skirmish advance, supported by massive artillery support, which is the enemy’s specialty.

As I studied them and studied them again, the question of how to effectively stop them began to slowly come into focus.

“Are you confident?”

Shin Tae-hyu asked the artillery battalion commander who was holding the map. He nodded vigorously.

“Of course!”

“Then I will allow the artillery fire. The enemy infantry has just reached our forward positions.”

“······!”

“I hope the geodetic team did its job.”

Then the artillery battalion commander immediately ran out towards his battalion.

“The artillery is brimming with confidence.”

“That’s because I’m young.”

Shin Tae-hyu smiled faintly, but inwardly he was looking forward to the artillery unit’s firepower. If they could properly pour out half the firepower they were confident in, that would be enough.

***

“Finally, the Brigade Commander has given the order to our artillery to suppress the enemy batteries!”

The battalion commander, who had run to the battery while sweating in the cold wind, spoke after barely catching his breath.

The battery commander, battery commanders, and battery team commanders looked at the battalion commander with faces full of tension and excitement.

“It’s time to show those Japanese artillerymen who the strongest artillery in Asia is! Let’s wipe out all the enemies who are harassing our forward lines!”

The artillerymen, who had been bored for so long, finally began to roll up their sleeves and take part in a battle that was quite worth watching.

“What is our battalion’s target?”

“It’s a forest located on the enemy’s left wing. There are two reference points identified by the geodetic team, so the 1st battery fires at the previously selected reference point ‘A’, and the 2nd and 3rd batteries fire at the later revised reference point ‘B’.”

He gave a concise order. The well-trained 17th Artillery Battalion could roast any enemy hiding behind the forest as a shield.

“Let’s clearly show the enemy what a smoke grenade is.”

“All right!”

Immediately afterwards, the battery commanders and the battery commanders began to harass their men. In the command post, everyone would already be holding up their telescopes and pointing towards the enemy battery.

It was the time when the great symphony orchestra called artillery gave its most beautiful performance to the enemy.

High-explosive shells, marked in yellow, and shrapnel shells, marked in red, were evenly mixed and distributed to each field gun from the ammunition cart.

And at the battery commander’s command, the loader, holding a smooth shell, prepared to load the stern.

“Battery, load one shell!”

“First gun, one shot of shrapnel loaded!”

As the smooth-bore shells were loaded into the rear of the cannon, this time the well-trained gunners were ready to release the strings.

The battery commanders checked the angles of their batteries toward the reference point once more, and then the battery commanders and artillery instructors, holding red flags, anxiously waited for the battalion commander’s order to fire.

“1st and 2nd batteries, ready to fire.”

“The 3rd battery is also ready to fire!”

After each battery’s report was completed, the battalion operations officer, who had summarized the reports, took a deep breath and shouted at the battalion commander.

“Battalion, prepare to fire!”

It was a sound I had been waiting for so long.

The battalion commander immediately raised his baton.

“Bomb!”

At the same time, the battery commander and instructors waved the red flag, and the gunners let go of their strings as they looked at it.

It didn’t take long for the ball to strike the detonator.

It took only three minutes for this devastating barrage to fall on the enemy positions.

Along with the sound of flying, it wasn’t long before the sound of a bullet hitting the ground was heard.

In just a dozen seconds, debris began to fly from the forest where the enemy batteries were presumed to be, caused by the explosion and the heavy bombardment.

“Keep firing at the Dongjewon!”

“Bomb!”

The enemies were definitely there.

The enemy artillery fire that had been flying towards our forward lines began to cease.

The battalion commander pursed his lips and looked at the forest through his telescope.

While we were bombarding the predicted point hard.

BAM! KWAAAAHHHH!

A huge explosion was heard, the first I had ever heard, despite it being artillery.

At that sound, not only the soldiers who had been pouring out artillery fire, but everyone on the front line was momentarily frozen in place by that sight.

“Commander, it looks like we’ve captured the enemy battery.”

The staff officer’s words were extremely dry, but they seemed certain.

Flames rose from the forest, along with black smoke, and the scorched earth gave away any hint of what had been there.

The artillery battalion members, who had been stunned for a moment, finally realized what had happened and began to cheer.

***

“Damn it! The enemy artillery was much closer than I thought!”

Along with the ‘rumbling’ noise, artillery fire was pouring down at a tempo incomparable to that of friendly artillery.

I was even afraid that perhaps the enemy’s artillery power was much larger than our own.

The batteries that were pouring indirect fire from behind the forest were helplessly hit by return fire.

The forest did provide them with ‘concealment’, but it did not provide ‘cover’. Rather, it only increased the losses caused by enemy artillery fire.

This is because when an enemy’s high-explosive bomb or shrapnel bomb hits a tree in the forest, the amount of fragments doubles.

Kukookung!

“Run away!”

“Ahhhh!”

A tremendous flash of light and flames erupted from the forest, and in between, the screams of the artillerymen could be heard.

Everyone quickly turned their telescopes towards the forest, and a true disaster was unfolding.

Several artillerymen were crawling out of the forest, staggering and with smoke pouring out of their bodies, while others were struggling with shrapnel all over their bodies, covered in blood and screaming in pain.

“Ugh!”

One of the staff members, who had seen the grotesque sight through his telescope, vomited.

At least that was a lucky case. Some of the less fortunate ones were swallowed up by the explosion and flash.

Troops from the adjacent infantry company were dispatched to rescue them, but the situation did not look good. The ammunition was exploding, and the artillery fire did not stop, so the infantry could not even attempt to approach.

“This is a disaster···.”

Even if the infamous Oni and Tengu had rushed out, it would have been difficult to create a hell of this magnitude.

However, the enemy artillerymen were not satisfied, as they continued to pour out effective fire into the enemy’s defenses, seemingly trying to wipe out even those who had barely managed to survive.

Some of the staff members were sitting on the snow floor, their eyes unfocused, trying to deny the reality of what was happening.

However, those who still felt a heavy sense of duty as staff members and commanders advised their commanders with trembling voices to find the best method.

“Yes, Colonel. The artillery damage is too great. If we continue the offensive as it is….”

“Without artillery support, it is difficult for our skirmishers to suppress the enemy. We must retreat and take all our casualties. If we suffer this much damage before we reach Pyongyang-”

“Let alone conquering Pyongyang Castle, we’ll probably just collapse without even reaching China. Damn it.”

He gritted his teeth and hurled curses at the commanders of the Joseon soldiers, who were invisible but definitely present.

The reason why the Qing army was able to capture Pyongyang Castle, which was guarded by the Qing army, was, of course, because the artillery was in good shape, and thanks to that, the artillery cooperation ran so smoothly.

The infantry was able to seize the opportunity to win thanks to the friendly artillery’s direct fire on the Qing army’s Gatling guns and small-caliber field guns positioned on Moranbong.

But if the artillerymen suffer too much damage in this preliminary battle… the attack on Pyongyang Castle itself will be impossible.

Moreover, without artillery support, the exposed skirmishers on the flat ground were simply perfect targets for the enemy.

Who would the enemy artillery, which had suppressed the friendly artillery, now turn its guns against? It was an obvious answer.

Amidst the pouring hail of gunfire, Lieutenant Umezawa spoke to his men.

“Withdraw the troops.”

The situation facing the infantry who had launched an offensive across the plains was extremely dangerous.