Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 234



Only Noblemtl

#234. Between Steel and Flame (4)

“Besides, since we have lost a large portion of our artillery, the limited visibility of the night will actually be beneficial to the enemy. Tonight, the clouds are thick and the moonlight is very weak.”

Shin Tae-hyu spoke while smoking his cigarette.

“The conditions are very favorable for an enemy to launch a night attack.”

Outside, the cold air was still thick, but inside the tense command center, he had no time to feel the cold.

We had to think about how to stop our enemies most effectively right away.

“There is a high possibility that there will be an attack tonight, but we do not know exactly when, where, or how the enemy will attack. Even God may not know. In order to destroy the unclear intentions of such enemies, wouldn’t we need appropriate defensive tactics?”

Shin Tae-hyu took a deep drag on his cigarette smoke to cool his head for a moment, then dropped the ash into the ashtray and opened his mouth again.

A pretty good method just popped into my head.

He smiled as he thought, ‘That’s why I always have to smoke after meals.’

“Accordingly, abandon the forward front and withdraw the troops to the main fishing boats.”

“Huh? Are you saying we’re abandoning the forward line? If our troops leave there, it will be harder to detect the enemy’s approach.”

“As the Chief of Staff said, isn’t that too risky?”

“But is there any reason to fully accept the powerful blade swinging by the enemy from the beginning?”

Shin Tae-hyu recalled a defensive tactic he had once learned from Chief Kim Si-hyeok called “depth defense.”

Unlike defending using fortified positions, castle walls, or geographical features as strongholds, this was a method of using the entire space within the defensive line to reduce the enemy’s offensive capabilities.

The plan was to deliberately deploy a weak defensive line, and the deeper you went into the enemy’s base, the more powerful the defensive line became.

It was a tactic in which, when the enemy’s offensive force failed to break through the thickened defensive line, they would counterattack with the reserved reserve force and restore the original defensive line.

It seemed similar at first glance to the internal strategy that had originally been attempted on Ganghwa Island to block the Westerners, and that was now being attempted as the war with the Japanese broke out.

Although there was a difference in that it was strategic and what Director Kim Si-hyeok taught was tactical, the meaning itself was similar.

“But Brigade Commander, the depth of the defensive line is too shallow to proceed with that. If we give the enemy the depth of only 1.6km too easily, the defensive line will not be able to perform its function and will collapse.”

“If we are not careful and all of our units are immobilized, we may lose our defensive line forever. Furthermore, if the front-line units are not able to buy enough time and the entire depth is breached before the main force can counterattack, it will be the end. If that happens, it will be only natural for the enemy to push all the way to Junghwa.”

Compared to the deep Korean peninsula, the depth of the Black Trade Zone was very shallow.

However, Shin Tae-hyu had his own confidence.

The artillery force that the enemy had and then disappeared from sight remained intact in his hands.

They are also elite artillerymen who can boast of being the strongest in Asia.

They would be able to cover the shallow depth with strong firepower.

“Our depth may seem short at first glance. But we have the powerful 17th Artillery Battalion at our disposal, and with them we can provide a warm welcome to the enemy heading towards the entire axis between the forward positions and the main fishing boats.”

“So, are you saying that you will overcome your lack of depth with artillery?”

“Yes. Instead of withdrawing the existing forward company, we will leave the gap connected to the main fishing boat as a no-man’s land and use it as a killing zone for the enemy. Also, the main fishing boat will be placed in an area about 1.5km away from the forward ship where the post station is, that is, where the first enemy contact will be made.”

And he spoke, waving his baton at the rear area 300 meters behind.

“And the 1st and 2nd Battalions, which can be called the elite of the 7th Brigade, will be deployed here. The 3rd Battalion will be deployed in the village on the left wing, and the 4th Battalion will be deployed as a brigade reserve in case the enemy breaks through the city on the left wing of the front line.”

Shin Tae-hyu took one last drag on his cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray.

‘I wish the enemy’s power would burn out like a burnt-out cigarette.’

Looking outside, it was pitch black with not a single ray of moonlight shining through.

***

A fairly strong snow storm was coming, accompanied by the crunching sound of snow underfoot.

It was hard to believe it was November.

The locals also said that it had been a long time since we had this much snow in early November, and that it might be because it had been particularly cold since the beginning of the year.

In any case, the snow that fell at night was a headache for both attackers and defenders.

Although it was possible to hide the attacker’s intention to attack by hiding their appearance, there was a risk of getting lost due to unfamiliarity with the geography.

Of course, tactical maps were distributed to all officers, but it was not easy for even veterans to distinguish what was what in a dark, snowy place.

“It will be difficult for enemies to even detect their approach.”

“The snowstorm is this bad, this is what it is.”

“It’ll be okay, since our listening posts and search units are out there.”

As the weekly battle drew to a close, snow began to fall lightly, and as the sun set, it gradually became heavier.

If it were normal, I would have called the soldiers and had them clear the snow in front of the unit, but now was not the time for that.

The machine gunners were busy pushing away the snowballs that were blocking their view in front of the specialization point with their field shovels, while the infantrymen were blowing on their frozen hands and filling their hungry stomachs with dry biscuits.

Far ahead, the sentries and search party members would have dug out individual trenches and would be closely monitoring enemy forces as they approached during the night.

“It’s a much colder winter than usual.”

“It’s going to be a really harsh winter. They even said that the cold will reach its peak during the Lunar New Year next year.”

“Who said that?”

“The customs office in Jinnampo warned that the entire Taedong River will probably freeze over by the end of this month.”

Shin Tae-hyu asked with a look of surprise on his face at the aide’s words.

“The Daedong River?”

The Daedong River usually freezes from December of the following month, to February at the earliest, or March at the latest, but the cold weather is coming so fast that it is freezing over a month earlier than usual. It is not exactly good news.

“The enemy knows this too, and they will try to push us out of here before winter ends. This winter will be hell for us and the enemy.”

“···I see.”

Meanwhile, the snowfall became heavier.

The snow was now so heavy that only the field of vision ahead was visible, and the only way to tell the time was by the pocket watches the officers carried.

Time passed anxiously, and Shin Tae-hyu secretly hoped that nothing would happen tonight.

I would rather have the enemy give up their offensive because of this blizzard and have a calm for today.

But his optimistic predictions were wrong again.

“···A faint red signal flare appeared in the distance.”

“Haa, the enemies are coming.”

He said with a sigh.

Several red flares shot into the air, faint but clearly distinguishable through the snowstorm.

Perhaps the listening posts and search parties placed here and there were visually checking the enemy’s movements.

“The blue flare will come up soon.”

“I will prepare the battery.”

“Do so.”

He gestured and said in response to the artillery battalion commander’s words.

Are you going to attack even in a situation like this where you can’t see even an inch ahead?

Although he was shocked by the Japanese military’s actions, he also thought that it was their typical choice.

It was their nature to turn rational choices into irrational situations.

***

“Sir, is this the right way to go?”

“That’ll be right, probably.”

“No, no matter how I look at it, it’s strange. If you go to the right of the road, you should come into contact with a village, but instead of a village, you can only see plains.”

The Japanese companies that had crossed the attack line in the midst of a snowstorm had already begun to break up their skirmish lines.

The eyes limited the vision of their enemies, but they also had a negative effect on themselves.

“Besides, the terrain is pitch black and we can’t even see it properly. We should withdraw our troops for a moment and then properly establish a reference point and advance…”

“Be quiet! If we advance forward anyway, won’t there be enemies?”

Of course, the company commander acted as if nothing was wrong and started harassing the platoon leaders below him.

The higher-ups were demanding a quick occupation by taking advantage of the surprise attack effect, as it was clear that if they could just break through the enemy’s forward line, they would soon reach the town and other urban areas.

In particular, we decided to concentrate our troops in urban areas.

This was because not only would the power of the enemy’s artillery be reduced, but the risk of being exposed to machine gun fire would also be reduced.

The main goal of this night raid was to form a sort of bridgehead there, then receive additional reinforcements and drive out the Joseon bastards in Heukgyo.

“Our mission is so critical, how can we withdraw just because we can’t see ahead?”

“But even the current location of our forces is unclear. The troops of the 2nd Battalion that were advancing together have also disappeared.”

“what?”

Only then did the company commander realize that they were the only ones advancing across the vast plain.

Neither the adjacent units that had crossed the line of attack together nor the troops of the 1st Battalion that were supposed to follow up were visible.

He was momentarily confused, but soon came to his senses and shouted at the platoon leaders.

“It’s clear that we are leading, so control your subordinate troops and continue advancing!”

“but-”

“I won’t listen to any more objections! Let’s quickly destroy the enemies and go to Pyongyang!”

He drew his sword and immediately began to encourage his soldiers at the front of the mountain cavalry line.

Some time had passed, and the sound of heavy breathing and puffs could be heard through the snowstorm.

The blizzard that had seemed like it would swallow up the entire offensive formation just a moment ago gradually subsided, and the front began to come into view.

“I can see the enemy’s forward lines!”

“Approach quickly. The enemies won’t be able to see you because of the snowstorm!”

Looking around, the company commander saw that there were fortifications set up ahead, although they were far from where they had originally been supposed to attack. He immediately extended his sword forward.