Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 231



Only Noblemtl

#231. Between Steel and Flame (1)

As a huge explosion and flash of light rose from the forest, the enemy soldiers on the mountain brigade hesitated for a moment, but soon came to their senses and began to advance in large numbers, accompanied by rifle fire.

It seemed as if the entire battalion was on the move, intent on destroying by force the thin defensive line formed by the two companies stationed at the forward line.

“The enemy is closing in on the final defensive firing point!”

“Calmly aim for the enemies in the lead and shoot!”

They say that this is the psychology of a person going into battle. When the soldiers in the front line start rolling around after being hit by concentrated fire, fear rather than anger eats away at people.

Therefore, in general, the concentrated fire during defensive battles was trained to be directed at the enemy’s vanguard, and the soldiers of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Brigade were no exception.

Accordingly, the company commander aimed his signal pistol obliquely at the enemy running ahead, and the red signal flare began to burn brightly despite the daytime.

“Company! Begin concentrated fire on the enemy infantry line at 12 o’clock!”

“1st Platoon! Open continuous fire on the enemies in the 12 o’clock to 3 o’clock direction!”

After confirming the trajectory of the signal flare, each squad leader and platoon leader immediately ordered their subordinate troops to concentrate fire.

If it had been a mountainous area, it would have been possible to fight advantageously against enemies crawling up, but unfortunately, since this was an open plain, the range in which they had to focus their fire was wider than usual.

The company commander thought, ‘If this was a mountainous area… it would have been a different story,’ and kicked the buttocks of the soldiers who had their heads buried in the trenches.

“I’m telling you to raise your head and shoot! Right now, the firepower of a single rifle is too little!”

The soldiers were terrified, but they were at least more afraid of their superiors. If they fought the enemy, they might die, but if they refused orders and just kept their heads down, they would be punished by their superiors with a very certain probability, or, depending on the special circumstances of war, they could be hanged for disobedience.

The soldiers who had been hesitating picked up their rifles again and fired at the front line under the urging of their officers and instructors, but it was not very effective.

Despite the barrage of fire, the enemy was not being suppressed or their advance was halted. Instead, our defensive line was being severely crushed by the enemy’s firepower.

“Our lines are being overwhelmed by enemy fire!”

“Damn, is it really the number on the head that is the answer?”

Whether it was because of the number of enemies rushing out of the brigade line, or because the limited firepower of the company’s riflemen was insufficient due to the extended range of concentrated fire, it seemed difficult to see much effect against them with the existing infantry tactics learned at the military academy.

It seemed that the extended version of linear tactics, which is still the accepted theory in Europe, was effective in battlefields where Maxim guns were not deployed.

The power of numbers and the accompanying firepower cannot be ignored.

“The enemy’s scouts are firing like crazy! They’re flying so accurately that it’s hard to even raise your head!”

“Grenade can!”

The company commander, having assessed the situation, readied the grenade launchers again.

The enemy’s skirmish line was quite effective. While one third of the troops charged into the firing zone, the remaining two thirds of the troops remained in the skirmish line and covered their advancing troops with rifle fire.

A fairly accurate and dense fire was enough to lead to fatal results.

In preparation for such cases, unit commanders were urged to effectively use the indirect firepower provided to infantry units, such as grenade launchers.

The difference between a commander who properly used the firearms issued to his unit and one who did not was not limited to determining the outcome of a small unit battle.

“Concentrate your grenade fire on the advancing enemy infantry lines! Deal as much damage as possible to force them to fall back!”

When the enemy’s scouts pressed hard, there were several ways to escape.

The most orthodox of these was to deal serious damage to the enemy’s lines through concentrated use of grenade launchers. If both grenade launchers deployed to the company were used, they could instantly pour down the firepower of eight guns on the heads of the enemies charging from the plains.

“Shoot, shoot! Shoot for every city and village they burned, every house they destroyed, every stone they left behind!”

“Grenade launcher, open fire!”

A dozen or so grenades, accompanied by a loud noise, could hit the heads and feet of the enemies, dealing quite a bit of damage.

The salvo of two and a half grenade launchers formed a sort of fire net that prevented enemy forces from easily advancing to the final defensive firing area.

In addition to physical means such as barbed wire, it was also possible to effectively block enemy entry by using firearms.

“Some enemy infantry units that were firing rifles at the firing line are joining the firing point!”

“Grenadier squad, keep firing! Don’t let up even for a second!”

As the advance of the vanguard units slowed down due to stronger resistance than expected, the Japanese army withdrew one of the units that had been providing covering fire to give momentum to the offensive.

The infantry in the outpost, who had been pushed back by the enemy’s barrage of fire just a moment ago, pulled their triggers again as if they had some relief.

The pungent smell of gunpowder and the sharp, dull sound of gunfire brushed past each other’s ears, and the thrilling gunfight continued for a while.

The company commander could hear strange sounds in the midst of the fierce firefight.

It was the sound of stepping on shards of glass, but it was very slight. Then, realizing what it meant, he looked towards the 3rd Platoon.

“Hey, the reeds are moving!”

“These are the enemy vanguard units that disappeared. These bastards, they came to attack the flank!”

He quickly pulled out the signal pistol that was tucked into his waistband. He reloaded the flare, aimed it at the reeds, and pulled the trigger.

The soldiers were startled by the sudden change in direction of fire and momentarily panicked, not knowing what to do.

“Enemies are coming from the reed field! Turn your line!”

“The enemy infantry is getting closer!”

“If we get flanked, we all die!”

The company commander, who had drawn his sword, began to raise his voice among the panicked soldiers.

As the rifle fire and grenade launcher shelling that had been concentrated in the front was temporarily diverted to the flanks, the enemy lines, not missing their opportunity, began to push forward to the final defensive firing zone.

***

“The enemy’s fire was diverted to the friendly advance guard who were making a flanking turn.”

“This is the best opportunity. Let’s advance like this and finish them off completely.”

Major Kobayashi, commander of the 3rd Battalion of the 4th Guards Regiment, who had taken the offensive, stood up from his seat, gripping the handle of his sword tightly, as the results of the fierce firefight began to show.

The enemy set up their forward positions in the plains rather than in the advantageous mountainous regions, and thus took on a disadvantageous battle.

“We must not miss the moment when the enemy makes a mistake. Let’s also mobilize two reserve companies.”

“The left wing’s advance against the enemy’s outposts is still sluggish.”

“The enemy’s defense line is linear anyway. If one side of the front line collapses, the other side will naturally collapse as well, so let’s deploy reserve forces and take control of that area.”

If that happens, we can secure a mid-point that can push into the center of black trade.

All they had to do was hold out here and hold out against the enemy as long as they could until the main force of the 2nd Guards Brigade, including the 4th Regiment, moved north.

“By the way, the supporting fire stopped right after we heard a huge explosion earlier. Are you okay?”

“Hmm, that’s definitely a problem.”

Perhaps the enemy artillery activity had continued unexpectedly. The huge explosions and vibrations were felt even here, suggesting that the friendly artillery battalion hidden in the forest had been completely swept away.

“The regimental commander has sent a messenger. He orders you to cease the attack and withdraw immediately.”

“Right now? Are you saying that we have already taken the leashes of our enemies?”

Lieutenant Colonel Kobayashi shook his head at the words of his staff who relayed the messenger’s message. It was ridiculous to ask them to withdraw troops now.

“Although our artillery has been suppressed, the enemy’s positions have already been exposed to artillery fire since the preparatory fire began, and they have suffered considerable damage. Furthermore, our infantry companies have broken up the enemy’s fire as a strong skirmish line, and now only the final assault is imminent. What are we going to do if we withdraw now?”

Of course, the friendly forces of the mountain brigade could have covered the retreat of their troops who had broken through to the front line by overwhelming the enemy’s outposts with a fierce firefight like before, but he didn’t really feel the need to do so.

“There is concern about active enemy artillery activity. The regimental commander’s order is to withdraw even if it means taking some casualties.”

“I have not received such an order. I remember the order from the division commander to the left was to lay the foundation for an attack on Pyongyang based on a quick decision.”

He ignored the messenger’s words and looked at the situation at the outpost.

While the enemy’s defensive line, which was in disarray, was engaging in a firefight with the friendly advanced units that had infiltrated the right wing of the front line, the friendly infantry companies, which had been waiting for an opportunity to temporarily relieve the enemy’s firepower, rushed forward with their bayonets fixed and shouting “hurrah!”

Brave officers and non-commissioned officers led the charge with their swords drawn, and the soldiers following them also raised their spirits by shouting.

The enemies were so overwhelmed by the momentum that they didn’t even raise their heads from their trenches, let alone return fire.

“Look at that. The enemy’s front line is on the verge of collapse. Retreating against those cowards? That’s ridiculous…”

While I was looking away for a moment, I started hearing the same sound as before: the grenade launcher and the explosion it was firing.

As I hastily brought my two startled eyes up to the telescope and looked, I saw the enemy continuously throwing something outside the trench line, and within seconds it exploded, creating cracks all over the friendly lines.

The explosion did not discriminate between the brave and those who were led away like sheep.

If they were within range, they would make anyone they met scream and die among the tyranny and flying debris.

Immediately after, the enemies began to crawl out of the trenches.

It seemed that everyone had watched as the friendly lines came to a halt, their charge slowing down due to the explosion of the grenade and the impact.

And instead, they started to charge with bayonets in reverse.

Rather than bayonets, they looked more like spears, and the sharp-edged shovels, as well as the pistols and sabers carried by the officers, seemed to reflect the sunlight and shine whitely.

“Are they… trying to attack our army in return?”

Their counterattack style of close combat was very different from what they had encountered and trained for.