Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 238



Only Noblemtl

#238. Between Steel and Flame (8)

Cossack cavalry with lances and shashkas began to form ranks on the plain.

The cold, rough-breathing warhorses and their fierce riders appeared at dawn, looking as if they had returned from hell.

“Line up! Line up everyone!”

As they prepared to charge, they placed the riders with lances in the lead ranks and the riders with shashkas behind them.

The vanguard, which played the role of lancers, formed a tight formation like the British light cavalry regiments that bravely charged during the Crimean War.

“Battalion! Form up in four rows, four columns!”

By forming a line that was ideal for assault, the battalion commander found a way to strike most effectively even with his limited forces.

Those wearing papaha, each carrying a different rifle on their back, held the reins in one hand and the lance firmly in the other, and were glaring at the enemy.

As the snow clouds cleared and the obscured moonlight began to illuminate the battlefield, both the advancing Japanese forces and the Korean forces defending the defensive line were able to see their silhouettes appearing across the wide plain.

“It looks like the enemy is forming a formation that is advantageous to us.”

They spoke as they looked at the densely packed skirmish lines of Japanese troops advancing across the plains.

It could also be seen as one of a kind of long linear formation. And generally, when the infantry was forming a line of this type, it was also the moment when the cavalry charge was most lethal.

This was the best opportunity for the cavalry to penetrate the flank, completely cut off the vanguard and rearguard, and then mercilessly trample on those who did not surrender.

More than the shock of Lance and Shashika, the horses themselves carrying the riders were also the best form for breaking through.

“Anton, arrange your ranks diagonally.”

“Aren’t we going to keep the line like this?”

“When the lancers of the first line break through the enemy’s lines, the follow-up units must attack through the gap and destroy the enemy’s skirmish line itself. They must charge diagonally, gradually increasing the number of breakthroughs, just as bullets penetrate their targets.”

If that happens, the entire enemy brigade’s ranks may collapse.

Unlike the era of single-shot rifles like the Berdan rifle or the era of muskets used only a dozen years ago, the instantaneous firepower of enemies armed with five-shot bolt-action rifles could not be ignored, but once the cavalry broke through the infantry ranks, it could inflict tremendous damage both mentally and physically.

That was the essence of cavalry, and its raison d’etre.

“Understood, Commander.”

Four companies of 75 men each formed a firing line and prepared to charge sequentially, and immediately after that, the battalion commander’s booming voice began to be heard.

“The enemy’s flank is open! We will now charge into battle! As St. George defeated the evil dragon, so we will send the Japanese to the hell they deserve! Brothers, bullets are foolish, bayonets are wise!”

And the battalion commander looked at the riders behind him and exhaled.

And then he gave the order everyone had been waiting for.

“Anton! Four columns, battalion advance!”

As soon as his order was given, the bugler blew his bugle to signal the charge, and soon the entire column began to charge, slowly but gradually picking up speed.

The silence of the riders, contrasting with the loud cries of their horses, made everyone in the party tense.

As of yet, the riders have neither drawn their shashkas nor aimed their lances at the enemy.

Even though it may not be visible because it is night time, it was instinctively to hide what actions we will take from the enemies.

“Increase your speed! We will soon encounter the enemy lines!”

With a trumpet signal to increase speed, the cavalry began to gradually increase speed toward the ranks of the skirmishers.

And at the same time, the distinction between the two was becoming clear.

Only then did the Japanese soldiers realize in a panic that it was not the Royal Guard cavalry that had rushed to protect them, but the cavalry of the Roske who had suddenly appeared, and they began to turn their guns.

“The enemy is at hand! Aim your lances at the enemy, draw your shashkas! And everyone, speed up the ranks! Let us break the enemy lines with our horse hooves!”

“Saint George, protect us!”

Despite the snow, the Cossacks displayed amazing horsemanship and began to pick up their sashes and gradually accelerate.

Although the ranks were a little looser than before, they were still able to deliver a formidable shock to the Japanese infantry.

The silent riders then finally let out their suppressed hostility and belligerence, along with the shouts they had been holding back.

The lance-bearers at the front skillfully kicked away the bayonets of the enemy infantry and began to break down one corner of the skirmish line.

And then the riders of the next column began to swing their shashkas bravely, as those who had gone before had done, as perhaps their ancestors had done at Borodino and Leipzig, and to make a wide breakthrough.

***

“Shoot! Knock down all the Roske who are rushing in without fear!”

Along with the acrid smell of gunpowder, several of the brave riders in the lead fell from their horses or fell with them. Then, among the ranks of the cavalry, there was a cheer and a vigorous volley of rifle fire.

The soldiers, who had been frightened by the sound of horse hooves coming from all directions, once again pulled the triggers of their rifles, finding courage in the loud voices of their platoon leader and company commander.

The era of cavalry had come to an end thanks to the rifles they had in their hands, so everyone thought that this time would be the same.

Although it was an oversight not to have prevented the enemy’s approach in advance, I believed that at least the strong firepower of the mountain brigade would be able to repel the enemy’s charge.

Some of the officers of the proud Guards Regiment were trying to boost their morale by saying that they could finally show the infamous Roske cavalrymen the proud warrior spirit of the Imperial Army.

You’ll meet people like that often in Manchuria, so it was something like saying hello in advance.

“Good!”

“You little Roske kids, come at me one more time!”

“Hold fire, hold fire! Don’t shoot without permission!”

One of the surprised veteran NCOs hurriedly ordered the platoon leader, who seemed to be a fresh graduate of the military academy, to cease fire, scolding him.

Then, the company commander who was nearby roughly pushed the non-commissioned officer away, asking what he was doing.

“What are you doing!? You’re shooting the enemies!”

“Sir! Look at that! You shot too early and the enemy’s speed hasn’t slowed down! You should have drawn them in and shot them-”

I should have drawn them in as close as possible and neutralized the riders in the front row, reducing their speed itself, but I used up my firepower too early.

If the enemy’s experienced cavalry had sensed this moment, they would have been the first to break through this line.

“Damn, I’m screwed.”

The veteran sergeant stopped talking and ground his teeth as he listened to the sound of horse hooves getting closer.

As expected, the enemy cavalry charged towards them, having wasted their bullets first.

The enemy had moved close enough to be noticed as the soldiers frantically searched through their magazines, pulled out empty clips, and hastily reloaded their rifles.

“Bayonet, stop the enemy’s advance with the bayonet!”

“Prevent the enemy from breaking through our ranks!”

Japanese officers and non-commissioned officers, armed with swords, hastily tried to block the cavalry’s charge with bayonets.

Even if he could threaten the horses and riders just a little bit and make them hesitate, he could put his finger on the trigger again and form a barrage to wipe out the enemies.

“Horses are timid animals! Use your bayonet to threaten the horse instead of the rider!”

At least that’s what it had to be like, according to what I learned in infantry school.

If we can slow down the speed of the charge even a little, it will certainly give the infantry that allowed the surprise attack ample opportunity.

With their bayonets raised, the Japanese infantrymen waited for a moment, suppressing the urge to break ranks.

Please, let the enemy’s ferocious steeds and riders stop.

But what they learned at the infantry school, at least to these people, was not applicable.

When the horses and riders saw the bayonet barrier, instead of instinctively slowing down for their own safety, they charged even more fiercely.

“Kill all the Japanese!”

“Kick out the enemy’s bayonets with your spears! Let’s trample all the enemies with our horse’s hooves!”

The enemy cavalry looked down at them with scorn and contempt.

And finally, the lance-wielding cavalrymen began to break the ranks, together with their huge steeds, breaking through the barrier of bayonets.

They stabbed the horse with their bayonets and threatened the rider, but what they got in return was an even more brutal attack.

The riders simply kicked away the bayonets thrust towards their faces with their long lances.

The panicked infantrymen aimed their guns and tried to fire directly at the riders and horses, but before they could, the lances they were holding flew into their chests or heads.

“Ugh!”

There was a dull, snapping sound as the spearhead broke, and those caught in the horse’s hooves screamed and fled in all directions.

The commanders who were watching this scene shouted and stopped the soldiers from retreating from the ranks.

“Catch the rider and bring him down! Stop them!”

But this did not happen. Most of the mountain ships were already swallowed up by the mass and speed of the warhorses.

Moreover, these steeds were as aggressive as their riders.

To seize such steeds and drag their riders down would be tantamount to suicide.

The warhorses displayed a ferocity no less than that of the infamous Cossack horsemen, kicking, goring, and even biting anything they came across.

As the lance-wielding horsemen passed by, the horsemen with drawn shashkas, which were more effective at killing infantry, approached.

They stabbed and cut down the infantry without mercy with the shashkas they held in their right hands.

Suddenly realizing that they had failed to stop the enemy cavalry, the infantry of the Guards regiment began to break away from their skirmish line one by one.

“Run away!”

“Eww!”

A soldier whose abdomen was pierced by a lance let out a terrible scream, and Ensign Aesong, who had been trying to muster up his courage and lead his men, rushed at another rider while swinging his sword, only to have his throat cut by a sashka, groaning and splattering fresh blood on the cold snow.

Then, the non-commissioned officers hurriedly took the place of the fallen officers and urged the scattering infantry to fill the scaffolding.

“Don’t run away, reorganize your ranks! If the skirmish line collapses, they’ll just slaughter you! We have to stop them from charging again!”

“Here they come again! Another unit of Roske’s is coming!”

This wasn’t the end.

Immediately after the first cavalry charge had passed like a storm, a cavalry column of similar size, formed in four ranks, came charging forward with their lances and shashkas extended straight as before.

“Wow!”

“Kill them all! Today the saints of the Orthodox Church look down on us!”