Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 242



Only Noblemtl

#242. Beyond the Line (4)

“Oh, who is this? I thought I would never see you again because of the war.”

“The Foreign Ministry has given us new orders. It is for the military attaché mission in Korea. General Kadual and Lieutenant Colonel Vidal will be arriving in Korea soon. However, they will be in Hamhung, not here like me.”

Surprisingly, the French officer who came as an observer was Foch.

He wore the rank of colonel on his epaulettes and greeted me with a pleased expression, stroking his moustache.

And standing next to him was a rather arrogant looking man wearing a US Army officer’s uniform.

It’s a face I’ve seen a lot somewhere…

“Who is next to you?”

“Captain Pershing, United States Army. Nice to meet you.”

Black Jack Pershing, that famous gentleman is coming here.

I knew that he was a military attaché at the American Embassy in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War and was part of the Military Attaché Corps, but I never thought that he would come here.

His voice, heard directly, was filled with some irritation and regret.

Perhaps he was really annoyed that he had flown all alone to such a remote place.

Of course, I didn’t openly complain because there was a colonel in the French Army right next to me who was nearing retirement.

If a captain were to flirt with a colonel, it would be a disgrace to the United States, and to all military diplomats, regardless of rank.

“I’ve heard a lot about General Chappie. I heard he commanded the infantry very well in Tianjin and Peking.”

“Of course. Thanks to General Chappie, we were able to plant the Taegeukgi and the Stars and Stripes on the walls of Beijing first.”

Oh, Commander Chappie, who fought alongside me during the Boxer Rebellion, seemed to have been keeping a close eye on this place. The look in his eyes at that time was a bit unusual.

“Anyway, I watched the battle from start to finish. I was lucky enough to see the battle unfolding throughout the city right after I arrived.”

“Hmm, how was it?”

I was curious about their honest feelings.

From a third party’s perspective, there were aspects that could be viewed very objectively, and through that, we were also able to learn something.

They answered my question immediately, as if they had been waiting for it.

“Both sides are impressive. The Japanese infantry regiment’s offensive is very flexible and uses skirmish lines. It would not be an exaggeration to say that they are the most modernized army in Asia.”

“However, the artillery operation was not that great. The rate of fire was extremely slow due to the lack of a recoil mechanism, and the gun ports were limited, so they could not exert their full power… but at least the concentrated operation was noticeable in concentrating the firepower in one place.”

Both Colonel Foch and Captain Pershing had quite high opinions of the Japanese military.

Rather than the shock shown in European infantry tactics, it must have been quite interesting for them to focus on breaking through the front line through concentrated firepower at the front and nimble infantry movement.

“However, the defensive battle of the numerically inferior Korean army was quite interesting. Even at a glance, they were outnumbered by 6 to 1, but they were able to inflict great damage on the Japanese army.”

Then he continued speaking as if he was quite impressed.

“It seemed like a rare artillery technique even in the US Army. Even if it is a battery that fires direct fire, in areas where the enemy cannot detect, direct observation by the naked eye is often limited for friendly forces as well.”

“You are well versed in the principles of artillery, Captain.”

“Without artillery, there is no point in infantry. Conversely, without infantry, there can be no artillery.”

Pershing looked at me with a stern expression. If you saw him, you would think he was the superior and I was the subordinate.

When the staff officers of the Sunmuyeong unit behind me showed their discomfort with expressions like, ‘A mere Captain Naburangi…?’, he cleared his throat once and continued his explanation.

“Ah, ah, let’s go back to the story. It’s very encouraging that we were able to block the Japanese Army’s powerful offensives in a timely manner by firing indirect shots without relying on direct fire, but through our excellent means of communication and close cooperation with observation officers and observation teams.

“Is that so?”

“Of course, they also took advantage of the defender’s advantage, but that’s not the important thing. In the end, the doctrine and understanding of artillery is extremely high in your army, and I think they are thoroughly prepared. Just now, when you dropped timely artillery fire on the enemy’s expected advance route and defeated an infantry company, you can’t help but say that their fighting ability is truly amazing.”

He rated us very highly. To put it simply, he could have said something like, ‘Your artillery is awesome.’

Although they are in the position of defenders in the field, they are not relying on direct fire, which is the basic rule for artillery, but are rather using available communication means and observation teams appropriately to demonstrate combat actions that are very organic with the front line.

Artillery operations that even the armies of the great powers would not be able to imitate were being demonstrated here.

Of course, he too was a soldier belonging to an imperialist power.

“However, there will be some difficulties when the defensive battle is switched to an offensive one.”

“Why, Captain?”

“This is a defensive battle. If it turns into an offensive, it will be difficult to maintain the organic connection we have now.”

Oh, right. It was a time when we could fully think about such problems.

It cannot be denied that in the current situation where radios and other equipment were inadequate, the ability of our artillery to fight properly was greatly aided by the ability of the telegraph and landline telephone to be utilized in various places.

“There is a risk that a shell might fall on the heads of the attacking friendly forces, or that the artillery fire might end too early and the advancing units might suffer significant losses from the enemy’s firepower that has not yet been suppressed.”

“Good point, Captain Pershing.”

Still, his point seemed valid at first glance.

That part is still something I struggle with as well.

And behind me, Colonel Foch was once again preaching to me about the superiority of our country’s 75mm field gun and telling me to thank him for ordering the purchase of additional field guns as a loan he had received just before the war, which made me laugh for a moment.

Anyway, I’m telling you, he’s a really interesting guy.

“By the way, I don’t know how long they’ll be able to hold out on their defenses. Surely that place won’t become Korea’s Alamo?”

In response to Pershing’s somewhat provocative question, I stopped the interpreter and answered him directly in English.

“Of course.”

Then, he looked at me with slightly surprised eyes, as if he had never expected me to respond in my native language.

“You will soon witness one of the most intense battles ever fought.”

“hmm?”

“Isn’t that what General Grant said? Tactics is about finding the enemy and advancing as fast and as hard as possible. I can show you that.”

Leaving Pershing bewildered, I suggested moving to a higher altitude with a broad smile on my face.

It would soon be 22:00, and with it the assault infantry regiments and cavalry regiments would begin to move towards the enemy lines in earnest.

Perhaps they will see it and have some kind of conversation.

With some anticipation, I watched the black dots move across the mountain range.

***

“Over there, there’s a flare going up at 1 o’clock.”

Everyone’s attention turned to someone’s shout. Several signal flares were rising in the air, and this was a promise.

“···It’s the beginning.”

The 1st and 3rd Platoons adjacent to it began to move in sequence.

The cutting edge of the offensive did not begin with grenade launchers or machine guns.

It started with the eerie melodies of trumpets, gongs, and taepyeongso carried by platoon or company messengers.

And everyone now intuitively felt that their time had truly come.

They were determined to tell their enemies the worst horror stories they could possibly tell.

I intended to depict in the most nightmarish way what could happen to a greedy person who tries to take what belongs to others without permission.

“Ugh, that’s creepy.”

“No matter how many times I hear it, I can’t get used to it.”

The tune they played filled the mountains and fields, as if to proudly show their enemies that they had come.

And then, as in Tianjin, at one point it suddenly stopped at its peak, and soon the grenadier barrage and the crossfire of the battalion’s Maxim gun company began to fly into the enemy lines.

The Japanese military was unable to respond appropriately to the unexpected situation.

They were simply advancing towards the southern port in front, with their skirmish lines loosely connected.

Aside from the obvious look of bewilderment.

The enemy missed their most vulnerable moment as the assault infantry approached.

If we could concentrate our firepower and block their approach right before they started to rampage in earnest while they were ‘clinging’ to the enemy, we might be able to render the offensive itself ineffective.

But the enemies missed the most crucial moment.

Before the enemy commander could assess the situation, the leading assault infantrymen quickly crossed the mountain and closed in on the enemy, closely followed by fire support from the regiment and battalion.

A shell fired by a grenadier squad just in time to hit the enemy ranks, and immediately afterwards, the assault infantry appeared at close range without even gasping for breath.

“Oh, they’re Joseon guys!”

After the voices of the panicked enemies were heard, the slaughter began in earnest.

The assault infantry, which appeared with human madness and reason thoroughly calculated, was no different from a grim reaper disguised as an enemy to the Japanese army.

The machine gun team that advanced with the infantry poured out firepower, repeatedly pulling the trigger.

The firepower of the battalion’s Maximo platoon was also concentrated along the trajectory of the signal flare that flew in from afar.

As the enemy floundered between the bloodshed and screams, this time the infantry platoon pulled out grenades to finish them off.

“1st Platoon! Hand grenades!”

“Grenade!”

The lead platoon threw a dozen or so grenades into the enemy lines with all their might, and then, on the commander’s orders, threw a few more.

Among the sounds of exploding grenades came cursing and screaming.

Each assault infantryman carried as many as 20 grenades, and some of them, wanting to see a bigger explosion, made bundles of grenades by wrapping wire around a suitable stick and throwing them.

If one of those things went off properly, flying out through the shrapnel and the explosion were chunks of enemy entrails and gore.

Of course, commanders, especially company commanders, were not particularly pleased with the idea of ​​making these improvised grenades.

If a grenade like that explodes at close range by mistake, there is a high chance that not only the user but also the surrounding friendly forces will be harmed.

But for them, such things were not something to be particularly concerned about.

They didn’t care about their own safety as long as they could kill their enemies in a flashy and impressive way.

After all, infantry existed to die, and among them, the assault infantry was the one that marched closest to death, so they even whined.