Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 240



Only Noblemtl

#240. Beyond the diagonal line (2)

It was as expected. The enemies rushed straight to Jinnampo to launch an attack without rest.

I barely managed to control my trembling voice and asked the communications team leader again.

“Is there anything else?”

“Yes, there is. There is also a report from the 2nd Battalion of the 5th Brigade in the Yonggang area. They say that the enemy cavalry has broken through between Yonggang and Nampo.”

“hmm.”

This was something I didn’t really expect. Rather, I expected the enemy to block support for Jinnampo by allocating one battalion or so to a linear defense line.

So, the first plan was to advance the battalions of the 5th Brigade in a diagonal line, destroy the enemy battalion in one blow, and pour in the breakthrough opened by the assault infantry regiment and cavalry regiment.

I guess I’ll have to fix it now though.

“Can the troops in that area block the enemy’s offensive attempt?”

“It seems difficult. The enemy’s cavalry is scattered and striking at various parts of the defensive line…”

“Understood. Tell them to abandon the linear defense line and withdraw to Yonggang, which is easier to defend.”

It’s a shame, but there’s nothing we can do about it.

After withdrawing the troops to Yonggang, the second plan was to leave behind only some defensive troops and immediately move them south to Jinnampo when the full-scale night offensive began.

“Oh, then the connection between Jinnampo and Yonggang will be cut off. Is that okay?”

“I can tolerate that much. If it’s not an infantry battalion but a cavalry battalion… it’ll be difficult to do anything more than cause confusion.”

They called it the Guards Cavalry Regiment, but in reality it was just a battalion.

At most, about 800 men, no, one company is deployed in the Heukgyo area, so in reality, they only have less than 600 men under their control, so they won’t dare attack Yonggang, where the infantry battalions are swarming.

And at that moment, two cavalry squadrons commanded by Major General Pavel Mishenko were moving south in that direction, so they would probably deal with the enemy cavalry.

“Cavalry and assault infantry?”

“It’s still in motion. However, we should be able to reach the enemy lines and launch an offensive today. And the Russian cavalry… is currently being led by Major General Mischenko himself and is moving south toward Jinnampo, so it’s impossible to confirm at the moment.”

The distance between Pyongyang and Jinnampo was long. In the days before cars, it was about 40km from here to the main city of Nampo.

So, although they did ask for cooperation from carriage companies to conscript a large number of carriages and horses to transport the troops, it was still difficult.

If only there had been a railroad at a time like this. Then we could have shown our enemies the miracle of the dry river a little earlier.

This kind of regret crossed my mind without me knowing.

“By the way, the movement of our reinforcement units seems too large. What if the enemy finds out about our intentions?”

“Even if we realize it now, it’s already too late. Most of the troops have already crossed the river. A strategic surprise attack takes 24 hours, and an operational surprise attack takes 6 hours. Even if the enemy realizes it now, they won’t have much of a way to respond.”

Anyway, the enemy’s means of communication are far behind ours.

Unlike us, who had telegraph stations and landlines in every major city, the Japanese military, which had few such facilities and had to rely largely on messengers, had no way to respond immediately if an emergency occurred.

Perhaps it is not unrelated to the fact that Japanese military commanders had considerable decision-making authority.

“But the opponent is the Japanese army, which prides itself on being the strongest in Asia.”

“I know. I’m even more confident when dealing with such enemies.”

Since they were such guys, they would not be able to respond immediately even if the large-scale maneuvers of our forces were exposed.

The enemies were already slowly falling into the trap, and Jinnampo would never let them go as it pulled them in.

The climax of the drama was finally approaching.

Since the 7th Brigade at Heukgyo had held out, the 5th Brigade at Jinnampo only had to hold out.

If that happens, we will be able to surround the enemy brigade trapped in Jinnampo with our superior manpower and firepower.

“Oh, by the way, I almost forgot to report something.”

“······.”

What if the communications manager forgets to report something?

He opened his mouth, clearing his throat as I frowned slightly.

“They say that the advance guard and the French spectators have arrived.”

“Are you coming to Pyongyang?”

“No, he said he wanted to see the battlefield right away and headed towards Nampo. He must have arrived by now and is observing the battle.”

Well, there was talk that the spectator detachment would come, and it looks like they really did send it.

I sighed and said to Sergeant Shin Pal-gyun that I should get ready and go down a little earlier.

“I’m going to be very busy starting tonight, so I guess I’ll have to go down now. Get ready.”

“All right.”

Tomorrow was going to be a really busy day. And indeed, it was going to be.

***

Braving the cold and hunger, Major General Pavel Mishenko and his cavalry squadrons were able to approach a point where the outskirts of Jinnampo were visible by the afternoon.

Thanks to their quick maneuverability, they were able to arrive near the battlefield before the enemies noticed them, or even much earlier than some expected them to.

“This can’t be happening.”

“The situation… is worse than I thought.”

Pavel Mishenko was the first Russian army general to see the Japanese in action.

Japanese infantry units were forming ranks and advancing toward the city center of a small town called Jinnampo, and South Korean artillery units responded with powerful direct fire to cover the infantry on the front lines.

As the shrapnel rained down, a large hole was made in the ranks of the attacking Japanese troops, but they continued to attack as if they did not care and tried to enter the city.

“Viktor Kim, what is the Korean military doing now?”

“They are fighting using the entire city as a shield.”

In response to Misenko’s question, Kim In-su pointed to the city center with his finger and said:

When we focused our binoculars, we saw that Korean soldiers had built barricades and various emergency fortifications inside the city center, and were engaging in a fierce battle with the Japanese soldiers who had invaded between the streets.

It was clear that they had been marching all day fighting the cold since crossing the river yesterday, but they went straight into the attack without any rest.

Major General Mischenko shuddered for a moment at the thought that if they had gone straight to battle against such enemies, they might have been pushed back.

“By the way, the situation is not very good. The enemy cavalry has broken through a part of the linear defense line about 10 versts (about 11 km) from Yonggang to Jinnampo. It seems that Jinnampo is isolated because of this.”

“What did you say?”

“I heard that some of the enemy’s cavalry regiments cut through our defensive line.”

That’s why the enemies seemed to have been attacking without stopping.

The South Korean commander seemed to think that this linear defense line would disperse the enemy’s forces to some extent.

So, instead of building a defensive line in Yonggang, which was easy to defend, they came down to the plains and built a defensive line. However, it seems that the enemies saw through this.

“If this happens, the cavalry will only temporarily block communication and troop movements between Jinnampo and other regions…”

“Instead, the enemy’s entire brigade-level force will be concentrated in Jinnampo. Jinnampo, which has only two battalions of garrison troops, is in danger if we gather them all at once.”

Chief Kim In-su looked in the direction of the flash and said.

The entire access road was already swarming with Japanese troops.

Of course, troops conscripted from the region were also being mobilized for battle, but it was an undeniable fact that they were at a disadvantage.

“I guess we have two options.”

After a moment of hesitation, Major Mischenko handed the telescope he was holding to his adjutant and said:

“One is to strike the rear of the enemy who is attacking Jinnampo. Although our casualties will be very high, at least we can buy some meaningful time until our reinforcements arrive.”

“It’s a lot. The entrance to Jinnampo is a place that everyone can easily predict. If we’re not careful, the entire cavalry corps could be annihilated due to a lack of troops and firepower after the initial surprise attack.”

“Yes, that’s why I’m thinking about it. If I’m not careful, I might not be able to break the encirclement, but I might get caught in the enemy’s fire and end up being uselessly disengaged from the battle line. So the other method I came up with… would be to intercept the enemy cavalry.”

Major General Misenko said, placing a thick finger between Yonggang and Jinnampo.

“If we destroy the enemy cavalry that has dared to poke its head between Yonggang and Jinnampo, the Korean army will take care of the rest. Isn’t that right, Victor?”

Lieutenant General Kim In-su nodded with his arms folded. He thought it would be best to drive away the enemy cavalry first.

“If we can just suppress the enemy’s cavalry early, it will be of great help. After all, it will be possible to suppress the enemy’s annoying mobile force.”

“Okay. Any other opinions?”

The cavalry battalion commanders and company commanders shook their heads.

Major General Mischenko glanced at Jinnampo, where fierce fighting was still taking place, and then ordered his horse to turn north.

He hoped that they would at least hold off the enemy until he returned here, even if it was not clear if they would be able to hold out there.

***

The assault infantry regiment’s attack began exactly two days after the enemy crossed Hwangju.

To be more precise, it was a full-scale offensive that lasted a full 24 hours, from the night of the first day through dawn and into the day and night of the next day.

In order to make that time, it was natural that I had to sleep and eat in the carriage.

Rather than eating proper meals, I had to eat mostly convenience foods, and because it was a cold winter, I often got stomachaches, but my morale was still high for most of them.

Their biggest enemy was not the Japanese army, but the pain in their buttocks and waist from sitting in the carriage for so long.

“Sir, how long must we sit here?”

“That’s right. It’s really boring to just ride around in a carriage…”

“You all are talking like you’re full. Our time will come soon. Don’t just sit there blankly while we ride in the carriage. Check your guns and gear.”

Kim Si-jin, the captain, opened his pocket watch and scolded his complaining men.

If things continued this way, we could arrive near Jinnampo tonight, or at the latest by tomorrow morning, and deploy our troops to the battle line.

“Sir, the battalion commander has called you for a moment.”

“suddenly?”

“Not only the company commander, but all the officers in the battalion have been summoned. It is urgent, so you should go quickly.”

At the battalion messenger’s words, he straightened his hunched shoulders and back, stretched, and headed toward the battalion commander.