Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 233



Only Noblemtl

#233. Between Steel and Flame (3)

Lieutenant General Asada hesitated for a moment, but other than what Colonel Umezawa said, there didn’t seem to be any good method.

If we fail to destroy Heukseok Station in time, that area will continue to pose a serious threat to our forces.

“At dusk today, we will launch a large-scale nighttime surprise attack. Our regiment’s 1st and 2nd battalions will destroy the enemy’s forward outposts and approach the main fishing boats. One battalion of the 3rd regiment will advance to the high ground on the right wing of Heukgyo Station, where the enemy’s batteries are located, and the remaining battalions will form a breakthrough and crush the enemy’s defenses with our numerical superiority.”

Lieutenant General Asada nodded to Colonel Umezawa’s words and said.

“Okay. Let’s do that.”

As if the heavens were helping, dark clouds began to gather in the night sky.

***

“Almost all of our troops have crossed the river.”

After passing through Songnim Port, where there was little resistance, Major General Tadaburo Yamada’s 1st Guards Brigade was almost able to complete the crossing.

Colonel Minato Watanabe of the 1st Guards Regiment and Colonel Matasaburo Fukaya of the 2nd Guards Regiment also crossed the river with great concern that the enemy’s resistance might be fierce, but it is safe to say that there was virtually no resistance.

All that was left for the ammunition and cavalry battalions to do was bring in the spare supplies they would need.

About 7,000 men, including one infantry brigade, one cavalry regiment, and one field artillery battalion, which could be said to be about half of the entire division’s combat strength, had crossed the river.

“The enemies are surprisingly quiet.”

“They must have all rushed to protect Jinnampo.”

Major General Yamada gave instructions to build emergency fortifications at the crossing point and bridgehead before dark.

It was so quiet that it didn’t seem appropriate for a battlefield.

At that moment, Lieutenant Colonel Masatake Kase, the commander of the cavalry regiment who had been the first to cross the sea and had ordered a reconnaissance of the enemy, approached and spoke.

“According to our scouts, the enemy’s main force is concentrated in a thin linear defensive line about 10km long, extending from Jinnampo to Yonggang.”

“Linear defense?”

“It seems like they already knew we were coming. However, since their forces are small, they are not actively coming out, and it seems like they are huddled together on the defensive line, waiting for our attack.”

The scouts’ report was quite useful. It seemed that they had gone quite deep into the area to conduct reconnaissance, and they had even made sketches of what they had learned, which they were able to report directly to the brigade commander.

Based on the information they brought, the staff were able to draw a map of the enemy positions by spreading it out on the stone floor.

“I suspect that the enemy brigade-level formations deployed their forces in this manner. I assume that the reports from our scouts are accurate.”

“If three of the four battalions were deployed along a long line stretching from Yonggang to Jinnampo···.”

“The enemy’s front line will be thin. The enemy is afraid that we will bypass Jinnampo and enter Pyongyang through Yonggang.”

Lieutenant Watanabe said with a delighted expression. The best possible situation they could think of was open.

This was the moment when they were worried that the Joseon soldiers might set up a defensive position in the mountainous area east of Jinnampo.

However, the enemy’s defensive forces were not deployed on the mountains, but rather in a linear defensive line of about 10 km extending from Yonggang to Jinnampo.

“Good. How about we occupy the northern Daean Army, expand the supply line so that it can be organically connected to the port of Songnim, and then advance with the main force to Jinnampo?”

“Dismissed. It is over 11km in a straight line, and there is no reason to occupy it all the way there. We will focus on taking control of Jinnampo, cutting the enemy’s supply line, and securing the supplies there.”

Major General Yamada resolutely refused the request to take control of the alternative forces in the north.

There was no particular reason to send a brigade of troops there.

If it was for the purpose of expanding the supply line when the entire 1st Army moved in, it might have been attractive then, but not right now.

“Lieutenant Colonel Masatake, lead your cavalry regiment and cut off the enemy’s connection between Yonggang and Jinnampo.”

“One company is on the 2nd Brigade side, so there are only three companies left. Is that okay?”

“It doesn’t matter. If it is true that the enemy brigade is deployed, then four battalions are spread out over a 10km radius, so even a small number of cavalrymen should be able to break the enemy lines and cut off their connections.”

On the contrary, Director Yamada was thinking of going a little more boldly.

The plan was to mobilize the cavalry regiment to break the enemy lines between Yonggang and Jinnampo, cut off reinforcements and communication, and then mobilize the main forces of the 1st Brigade to push into the entire city of Jinnampo.

“However, since it would be difficult for the cavalry regiment alone to handle the enemy’s counterattack at Yonggang, select one battalion from the 2nd Regiment and deploy it between Yonggang and Jinnampo.”

“If we fail to capture Jinnampo, it could actually be dangerous.”

The defensive line that one company of enemy troops had to cover was a whopping 680 meters, and that of one platoon was 230 meters.

In the end, it was a structure that could not possibly have been without gaps, and if the cavalry could properly attack these gaps, they could cut off the enemy’s waist. If that happened, the enemy would give up their long, linear defense line and begin to withdraw their troops to reduce the front of the defense line.

The moment that happens, it will be the 1st Brigade’s time.

By driving back the hastily retreating enemies to the north and concentrating the main force of the brigade at Jinnampo, it would have been possible to achieve a total victory through superiority in both men, firepower, quality and quantity.

Of course, it was a gamble. The first army’s follow-up units were still a few days away from arriving.

The 12th and 2nd divisions are moving in one after another at 2-3 day intervals.

The situation had to end before that.

There was no reason whatsoever to hand over their precious military achievements to the remnants of the first army that followed.

“The enemy knows this place well, but so do we. Besides, the enemy came into the cage of his own accord, and we cannot afford to miss that.”

He ridiculed the enemy commander who had trapped himself in Jinnampo, giving up all the advantageous positions for defense.

Even the stupid Qing army tried to intercept their own army by sending 7,000 troops, but the Joseon guys were stupid anyway.

“War is momentum. And the enemy has missed the opportunity to seize that momentum. We will move toward the route leading to Jinnampo by tomorrow morning. After that, from the moment the cavalry regiment cuts off the enemy’s waist, we will launch an offensive on Jinnampo.”

“All right!”

The 1st Guards Brigade’s powerful force will be more than enough to crush the enemy.

The most splendid victory of the Guards Division, which was made up of only the best of the best, was slowly unfolding before their eyes.

***

“Brigade Commander, below, this is a report on the enemy situation from the friendly reconnaissance company.”

“Tell me.”

“They say enemy reinforcements have arrived. It seems to be an infantry regiment belonging to the enemy Guards Brigade.”

The thing he hated to hear the most reached Brigade Commander Shin Tae-hyu’s ears.

The enemies who tried to push their way into the Black Market earlier this week were not the entire Guards Brigade.

I had secretly hoped that the enemies I had encountered earlier were the entire strength of the Guards Brigade, but the reconnaissance results showed otherwise.

Those who attacked during the week were only one of the regiments belonging to the Guards Brigade.

“A full enemy brigade has arrived.”

“Even though they are in the same brigade, they have about 30% more troops than us.”

“Ugh, we temporarily had the upper hand during the week.”

And now that the enemy’s entire brigade force had finally gathered, it was truly unpleasant news. Wouldn’t it have been better to counterattack and defeat the enemy who had been exposed earlier and were inferior in terms of strength? Shin Tae-hyu thought for a moment, but shook his head.

If we had done so, we could have called back the enemies who had gone to Jinnampo and ruined the overall operational tempo. Furthermore, the enemy was an elite Japanese force, and if we had pushed ahead with the offensive just because they had one more battalion, and suffered heavy losses, we would not have been able to avoid defeat.

“If we had launched an offensive at that time, we could have turned the tide and overwhelmed the enemy.”

“Wake up. In a war to protect something, cowards fight better than the brave. If you counterattack the enemy with all your might now and are instead surrounded by reinforced enemies, you’ll end up like the iron fortress of the year of the pig.”

Even then, right after repelling the Qing army’s offensive, they raised their spirits and pursued the enemy fiercely, but the unit including Vice Marshal Shin Gyeong-won was almost completely annihilated.

Of course, if we had enough power, it would have been worth a try, but the overall situation was not easy.

If the enemy’s reinforcements had counterattacked and tried to break through our exhausted troops… an unimaginable disaster would have occurred.

“Tch, if only we had one more battalion, or even one more company.”

He felt very sorry that he, the brigade commander, was talking like this.

To that extent, even one soldier and one rifle were in short supply.

Of course, he had second-line troops such as artillery in his grasp, but they were more like troops gathered to supplement the first-line troops who had suffered losses. They were insufficient in many ways to form a unit and fight a battle with just these troops.

“Then should we request additional troops from Pyongyang?”

One of his oblivious staff members tried to pick up the phone, thinking that his lament was serious.

At this, Shin Tae-hyu waved his hand to stop his actions and changed the subject.

“Oh, that’s not necessary. But if the entire enemy brigade starts to gather, isn’t that the only option left for them?”

“Well, they’ll attack at night. They say the main enemy brigade is currently gathered in Gindeung.”

Shin Tae-hyu sighed deeply at the Chief of Staff’s words.

Well, I would have gladly gone on a night raid myself.

Since the artillery was completely suppressed, the only option was to attack at night when the artillery’s firepower was limited.

“As you said, there is a high possibility that there will be a night attack.”

“Not only me, but anyone who knows the tactics and actions of the Japanese would agree with that. Since they received reinforcements at a time when there was no time, it is obvious that they will attempt to force a breakthrough at night without hesitation.”

Most of the 7th Brigade staff shared the same thoughts as the brigade commander.

If you think about it from the enemy’s point of view, it was obvious that they would definitely attempt a surprise attack at night.

The time given to them was short, and the ammunition and food they carried were not very plentiful.