Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 239



Only Noblemtl

#239. Beyond the Line (1)

He tried to order them to fire again, but the soldiers who had been assaulted earlier seemed to have reached their mental limit and began firing their bullets without any further warning.

“Request support from neighboring units!”

“Impossible! The enemy cavalry has broken through our company’s ranks and is attacking the rear of our neighboring units! If we want to preserve our strength, we must retreat immediately!”

Among the bewildered officers and NCOs, the scout ships, now out of control, began to visibly disintegrate, one by one.

The darkness, the cold, the exhaustion from the forced march, and the unexpected cavalry raid were enough to cause even the most elite of the Guards Divisions to retreat.

“Eww! You fucking kids!”

The company commander threw his helmet on the ground in anger, but that didn’t change anything.

Like an uncontrollable natural disaster, the enemy cavalry roared as if threatening to trample everything in sight.

As dawn passed, the plains began to be filled with the uncontrolled sounds of gunfire, the neighing of horses, and the terrible screams of the wounded.

***

“Our cavalry ambushed the enemy infantry formations following across the plain!”

“Now! Send all friendly reserves and sweep away all enemies who have infiltrated here!”

It was a stunning coincidence.

Signal flares dotting the sky, confusion in the enemy lines caused by the charge of the Russian cavalry, and the enemy’s fixation on a strong defensive line.

It all happened in an instant.

Shin Tae-hyu had no time to be thankful for this coincidence and immediately ordered the reserve forces to be deployed.

Expressing gratitude is something that can be done quietly later.

Upon hearing his order, the units began to advance in an orderly manner toward the intersection on the left and right wings respectively.

The 1st Battalion on the left wing was currently moving towards the flank of the enemy who was attacking the 3rd Battalion, while the 2nd Battalion on the right wing was moving towards the rear of the enemy.

The fear in the enemy’s rear, which had become a battlefield, was now slowly spreading to the front.

One day, the chief of police said this.

Humans are not perfectly rational beings, and the same goes for the enemies we face on the front lines.

Therefore, we have been calling for the need for agile improvisation that can detect and respond only on the spot, rather than being explained by advance plans based on science and statistics.

The enemy clearly had the ability to respond to such a situation, but they had exhausted their reserves for the critical moment, whereas the 7th Brigade was in a different situation.

The infantry companies spread out and advanced through the village, each block occupying its own section. The 17th Artillery Battalion, which had been shelling enemy reinforcements on the plains for a while, received a new objective, moved its guns diligently, and began pouring harassing fire on the expected retreat route.

“Brigadier General, look over there! Hahaha!”

The brigade chief of staff looked at the enemy through binoculars, then burst into a big smile.

Everyone raised their telescopes with a puzzled expression, and then smiled like him. The enemies were finally being routed.

“The enemy is moving in the same direction as our reinforcements! And they are advancing much faster than our forces!”

The Chief of Staff laughed loudly at the Japanese military and said:

If the enemy was moving in the same direction as our forces, it meant that the enemy was finally retreating.

“···They are finally losing.”

The vanguard, finally realizing that they were trapped in the witch’s cauldron, withdrew from the village without even having time to gather their forces. First the vanguard company collapsed, and then the entire battalion collapsed.

The enemies who had been so arrogant until just a moment ago were now being pursued fiercely by our forces, who had switched positions.

It was an offensive in which everyone participated, from the 3rd Battalion, which was on the defensive at the front, to the 1st and 2nd Battalions, which attacked from the left and right wings.

Enemies whose tails were bitten either dropped their weapons and raised both hands, or turned their backs and ran away, only to be hit by concentrated fire and rolled around on the ground.

“Panic seems to have spread across the enemy lines! Now is the time!”

“Order them to pursue the fleeing enemy, but give priority to suppressing those who resist.”

There was no need to hunt down and kill the fleeing enemies. Those who threw down their weapons and fled were already overcome by fear and terror, and they were the main vectors of infection for the other soldiers still standing in the battle line.

Rather, it was far more advantageous at the moment to let them continue to flee, forcing the enemy to regroup.

For the first time, Shin Tae-hyu was able to witness the Japanese army being completely routed.

“···Report to Sunmuyeong and the commander. As promised, we have defended Heukgyo.”

“Understood, Brigadier General.”

It was truly a thrilling battlefield, but luck was on our side.

From far away, shouts of victory could be heard.

Perhaps the enemies will not be able to attack this place for a while.

Shin Tae-hyu was tired, but he was satisfied in his own way.

For the time being, the Taegeukgi will be waving here.

***

“At Heukgyo, our 7th Brigade repelled the entire day and night offensive launched by the enemy. It is noteworthy that our 17th Artillery Battalion annihilated the enemy Guards Artillery Battalion, and the Russian Cavalry ambushed the enemy advancing at night and stopped their offensive.”

The dawn of Sunmuyeong was much busier than during the day.

Of course, it was because of the battle at the Black Market that took place during the night.

I woke up from a light sleep and lifted a cup of coffee that had gone cold.

Since I was soon to have to go down to Jinnampo to personally command the area, I was preparing my own military gear.

“If this happens, the enemies will give up on advancing into the Black Market.”

“Yes, they probably judged the defense to be formidable. If that happens… they’ll probably wait for the friendly forces to break through to the Jinnampo area.”

“There will also be a shortage of supplies.”

I answered with a smile.

They left all their quartermaster units in Hanseong in order to take advantage of their mobility.

The supply unit must have arrived in Gaeseong by now, but they must have arrived here around the end of the campaign.

“Well, the report from the 7th Brigade seems quite… long.”

By the way, the report on the battle in the Heukgyo area brought by the Shin Pal-gyun division was so rich in content and quantity that it was hard to believe it was sent by the staff of the 7th Brigade, which had been engaged in fierce battles all day and night.

After briefly wishing the staff members who were absent while writing this a happy repose, I began to read it in detail.

“Oh, these are reports from the 7th Brigade on the enemy infantry’s combat behavior. I heard their infantry tactics are more threatening than I thought.”

Perhaps because the staff were tired, the sentences and content became more and more disorganized as they went on, but it wasn’t to the point where it was completely incomprehensible.

“The suppression of the enemy through densely packed mountain lines, well-coordinated alternating advances, and powerful firefights on the firing line···.”

Certainly, in some ways, the Japanese army was more advanced in infantry tactics than the armies of other powers.

The Japanese Army was attempting what could be called the foundation of modern infantry tactics.

It was surprising that they had created the basis for effectively reaching the enemy lines by taking turns firing and moving, advancing and providing cover, which can be called the basics of infantry tactics.

“They said that it was a more difficult opponent than they thought. They said that it was especially harder at night than during the day.”

“But we are one step ahead of them. For now.”

Perhaps, had they been dealing with the Russians, they would have been very successful.

If it had been the Russian Army in the Far East, with its extremely low training and skills… their offensive method would have been very fatal.

According to some accounts, there are still Russian units attempting to advance along the parade route?

Foch had said the same thing before. What was scary about the Russian army was the power that came from the entire nation, not the fighting ability of individual soldiers or their advanced fighting methods.

He even said that Russia would not be able to exert much force in a short-term decisive battle, although it may be possible in a long-term war. Furthermore, the Russian army, which had difficulty in securing supply lines and replenishing troops, would have been in an even more bleak situation.

“You seem confident of victory against your enemies this time. Last time, you said that you had to become their opponent to win.”

“It’s one thing if it’s a country versus a country, but it’s a different story if it’s just a single battlefield. Besides, I was the one who set the stage this time. If the military clashes with the military, it could be a different story.”

I smiled at the words of the new chief and placed the report neatly on the side of the desk.

If I ever write a revised edition of the Infantry Regiment, I will definitely need these materials.

The Japanese military had only mastered the basics of modern infantry tactics, but they had not yet fully established them.

This small but solid army that I was already commanding knew how to basically implement the tactics and doctrine that the Japanese had just mastered, from the very bottom up.

“That’s what it comes down to. Who fights smarter and more flexibly? So far, we can say that we are much more flexibly than our enemies.”

The fact that the Japanese army was unable to break through the forward line in Heukgyo-yeok was largely due to the fact that such ideas were deeply ingrained even among the lowest-ranking officers.

Moreover, the elite units were equipped with a full range of weapon systems and custom formations to cause trouble in the first place.

It is no exaggeration to say that in this world, the ultimate in infantry tactics was the Korean Empire’s army, although I am embarrassed to say it myself.

I don’t know what future military scholars will say about me, but at least I will be able to hear that I am the father of modern small unit tactics.

“But the enemies will soon learn.”

The new palgyun department spoke as if it was worried.

The more often you engage with your enemies, the more they learn, whether they like it or not.

Even the Russian military, after being beaten so badly for months in the Ukrainian war, seemed to be learning a little bit.

The Japanese, who are thought to be at least as clever as them, might one day learn our methods and launch a counterattack.

“Yeah… I guess those beasts will learn something someday.”

I drank the remaining coffee in one gulp and continued.

“But that’s not the case today. While we have the upper hand over our enemies, let’s think about inflicting as much damage as possible on them and making them collapse.”

“All right.”

The adjutant shrugged, agreed with what I said, and returned to his seat.

By the way, it will be time for the enemy to cross over to Jinnampo and make contact with the 5th Brigade.

As I was taking out my pocket watch to check the time, an urgent telegram arrived from the communications officer assigned to Sunmuyeong.

“Sergeant, this is a report from Jinnampo. The enemy’s advance party has made contact with our forward defensive line.”

“What number?”

“They say there is at least one company, but it seems like the number of enemies is increasing. Lieutenant General Lee Kang-nyeon said that he will withdraw the troops from the forward line at the appropriate time and directly defend the city of Jinnampo.”