Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 241



Only Noblemtl

#241. Beyond the Line (3)

The other officers had already surrounded the carriage containing the battalion commander, as if they had been summoned.

“Oh, the 2nd platoon leader is here too. Then let’s begin.”

The battalion commander said, pulling out a bundle of papers.

To be precise, these were things that could be given to all officers commanding companies and platoons assigned to the 1st Battalion, Assault Infantry.

The paper was filled with detailed maps of Jinnampo, and lines that seemed to explain the plans for how each company and platoon should move were densely drawn on it.

“Hey, what is this?”

“These are the tactical maps for the Jinnampo area that Sunmuyeong gave us. Each company and platoon leader must be familiar with them.”

“Eww···.”

The faces of the other platoon leaders turned grim.

Rather than feeling aversion to splitting up into companies or platoons and moving around, I continued listening to the battalion commander’s words for a while, although for a slightly different reason.

“The map that has just been distributed is a maneuver plan for our assault infantry regiment, specifically our 2nd battalion. It seems that Sunmuyeong wants us to make a very complicated maneuver. It is to prevent the enemy brigade’s main force from leaving here.”

The battalion commander continued speaking with a smirk.

“And they want our assault infantry to be at the forefront. The adjacent cavalry regiments have probably received a similar operational plan as ours.”

He began to explain in detail the orders he had received from Sunmuyeong.

The map depicted the movement routes of the three battalions, nine companies, and 27 platoons of the Assault Infantry Regiment in a disarray.

Although the battalion commander and his staff seemed to recognize it, to those born in the field, it was just a confusing collection of lines.

“The map I just showed you is from the headquarters, so it may look complicated, but the ones we distributed to you were reworked by our staff to fit each unit, so please refer to them. Of course, company commanders and above should understand the maps that the headquarters has, right?”

Kim Si-jin made a playful expression, sticking his tongue out.

It seemed that Sunmuyeong had properly laid out the plan for the assault infantry regiment.

They had a lot to show the Japanese, who believed that battalion-level operations were the most effective infantry maneuvers at the tactical level.

“I, the battalion commander, have no doubt that each company commander and platoon leader will face each individual situation with proper judgment and demonstrate powerful fighting power.”

“If I say more, it’s just nagging! I’ll cut off the enemy’s balls and present them to Hamheung!”

Everyone laughed at the spirited answer from the 3rd Platoon Leader of the 1st Battalion.

“Yes, yes, only someone with the spirit of a guy like you can be proud to be the platoon leader of this assault infantry. Just don’t break through too far ahead like you did during the mock battle with the demonstration brigade last time.”

The battalion commander reminded him of the mistake he had made last time, without losing his smile.

He had good skills and tactical judgment, but the problem was that he was always overflowing with motivation.

This is because, instead of a coordinated attack against the demonstration brigade, they went out and caused a ruckus, which resulted in a friendly firefight between friendly forces, which in turn provided an opportunity for a counterattack.

This was not just a problem for the 3rd Platoon Leader, but a problem for all officers in the aggressive-minded Assault Infantry Regiment, so the battalion commander seemed to want to draw their attention to it when he had the chance.

“Um, Commander, I have a question.”

“What is it, Second Lieutenant?”

“No artillery support this time?”

“Oh, right. Good question. This time there is no artillery support. Each unit will rely on its own organized company and platoon firepower to crush the enemy.”

As he said, this time there was no massive artillery support.

Of course, most of the artillery is deployed along most of the front lines or is on standby with the 4th Brigade, an elite unit in Pyongyang, as a last-ditch reserve.

“Isn’t this tactically incorrect? Normally, when an assault infantry tactical maneuver is carried out, it is supposed to be supported by one artillery battalion.”

The 1st Platoon Commander continued his valiant speech. Artillery support was a very important factor for the assault infantry.

The coordinated, massive artillery barrage by friendly forces and the subsequent breakthrough of the front line were what determined the early battle.

The absence of artillery meant that the offensive was underway after the artillery had left the range.

From then on, their main objective was to constantly engage the enemy and break through using their own firepower, so it was not surprising that such complaints arose.

“That is only a recommendation for use in normal frontline situations, and it is not the correct answer for all situations. And if artillery is mobilized, it will be impossible to match the timing… and it will naturally lead to the fall of Jinnampo.”

The battalion commander shook his head in response to someone’s question.

“Emergency times call for extraordinary measures. Have you ever considered that our very existence is not in keeping with the tactics of any nation?”

At his question, everyone looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

That was true. They were the most alien creatures in the civilized armies of the world.

A certain officer from the Deokguk Army who observed their training said, “If Korea has a civilized army, then these are the most uncivilized ones.”

“What if the enemy exceeds our expectations and responds to us?”

“That is an impossible point to begin with. In other words, it is an impossible proposition. The enemy’s main force will be tied down in the attack on Jinnampo. If we divide our forces into large groups and attack, we will be defeated even though we know the situation. That is why the military commander designed this plan while eliminating all the variables that the enemy could bring.”

“Numerically, we are still outnumbered by 3 to 1.”

“But we have stronger firepower from individual infantrymen. What are we going to use the Madsen, grenade launcher, and grenades for?”

The battalion commander looked at his men with eyes full of confidence, believing that the unit he was leading would never be defeated by the enemy.

“We will arrive at the starting point of the attack around 10 p.m. tonight. It may not be enough for our troops, but we will ensure that they can rest sufficiently while moving. That way, before this night passes….”

He looked at everyone for a moment, then took a deep breath and said.

“Let’s not let even a single Japanese person remain in Jinnampo.”

The battalion commander’s words said it all.

Everyone nodded and dispersed, each holding a map.

And again, the convoy of wagons prepared to move quickly toward the front.

Behind them, local residents called together by the Yonggang County Magistrate and peddlers gathered from Pyongyang followed, carrying loads on their backs.

If we soon encounter a mountainous region, carriages will not be able to operate, so from then on, we will need to deploy laborers to transport ammunition, heavy weapons, and various supplies.

Although some of them seemed discontented about having to carry supplies instead of being deployed to battle, it wasn’t a big deal.

“So, what our company has to deal with right now is···”

“They are battalion-level forces. And they are the enemy’s elite infantry guards.”

Looking at the map with his platoon leaders, Lieutenant Kim Si-jin continued to chew on the candy in his pocket and spoke.

Indeed, as the battalion commander had said, the main force of the assault infantry regiment was able to deploy late at night through the Daean Army to a mountainous area about 4km away from the main Japanese offensive direction.

“Even if one regiment is burdensome, one battalion might be worth a try.”

“I agree with that part.”

As expected, they were full of confidence. Well, if they were in their right mind, they probably wouldn’t have come here.

Boom! Kookook!

“Well, it’s noisy.”

“It makes sense, since we’re almost at the starting line of attack. We’re only about 4-5km from the front line.”

As we got closer to the starting line of attack, a loud noise filled our ears.

Perhaps the battle at Jinnampo was not going to turn out well.

“I can now see it clearly with my naked eye.”

“Each platoon leader, check each unit’s advance route.”

Chief of Staff Kim Si-jin called in the platoon leaders and senior officers to check the route of advance.

As long as you crossed the mountainous region, the rest was all plains. And the enemy seemed not to care much about threats from the flanks, as they had most of their forces stationed at Jinnampo.

Looking at the tactical symbols on the map, it seemed that what the 2nd Platoon was doing was to advance more than 3km from the starting line of the attack, destroying everything in sight and breaking through the front line.

It was a much simpler and clearer task than the 1st or 3rd Platoon, but the risk was also high.

It was even more dangerous because the cavalry regiments would split up into company units nearby and would break through the enemy’s rear through the place where the assault infantry regiment had broken through. They would also run the risk of a mistaken engagement if they made a mistake.

“As a result, our company’s end will be met at the bridgehead the enemy has created.”

“And that’s where the entire regiment will gather. If we can just destroy the enemy’s main force, our troops in Yonggang and Jinnampo will take care of chasing down the defeated troops. Our goal is to sweep away the enemy lines, front and rear, like an unstoppable storm.”

Break through the enemy lines until your strength runs out. That was the slogan of the Assault Infantry Regiment.

As long as they had ammunition left, they were a unit that would advance as fast as possible and had no time to rest before the friendly units that followed arrived, and their sole purpose was to attack rather than defend.

“The 1st and 3rd Platoons will launch the initial attack 5 and 15 minutes ahead of us, respectively. Immediately after, our company will advance towards objective ‘A’, and immediately after that, each platoon will split up and penetrate the enemy’s front line.”

Perhaps, the target area was a village that was likely to contain high-value targets such as an enemy battalion command post, regimental command post, or artillery position.

If the 1st and 3rd Platoons deliver adequate damage to the enemy as planned, it won’t be too difficult to break through and head here.

Of course, as always, the problem is immediately after the breakthrough.

“It might be a bit difficult to penetrate everything. Since we’re going to be directly attacking the enemy’s rear, the enemy density will be high.”

“It doesn’t matter. With our firepower and mobility, and if we split up into platoons and launch night raids, the enemy will melt away like dew at dawn.”

No one has yet followed the rear of the Guards Division.

The remaining Japanese 1st Army troops had intercepted the communications of the Sunmuyeong Command, who had learned that the 12th and 2nd Divisions would advance at three-day intervals each. This information was also obtained through bloodshed by the friendly cavalry and the Russian cavalry as they engaged in fierce battles with the enemy’s reconnaissance unit.

“If we fail to deal with the enemy here, we will have to deal with two more enemy divisions. We have the best chance of completely dislodging one of the enemy’s most famous Guards Divisions here.”

He put the last remaining piece of candy into his mouth and watched the battle that was going on all night in the direction of Jinnampo.

It was soon time for them to step forward.

The machine-gun section was servicing the newly arrived Madsen machine-gun, and the grenadier section was anxiously waiting for its time on the starting line, carrying a short cavalry rifle on its back in addition to the grenade launchers it carried.

And finally, their time was coming.