Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 247



Only Noblemtl

#247. First Victory (2)

“···I never imagined that the real turnip’s tactics would work.”

“Three battalions are much more flexible than one regiment, and nine companies are much more flexible than three battalions. I just decided that 27 platoons were much more flexible.”

If you confront the enemy regiment head-on, you will only have equal numbers, but it was worthwhile to properly divide your forces far below and take advantage of their mobility, firepower, and breakthrough.

As the assault infantry regiment had successfully destroyed the enemy command post and batteries, all that remained were some enemy forces in the city of Nampo who had not yet given up their resistance, those who had escaped to the bridgehead, and the Guards Engineers stationed there.

“However, unfortunately, it appears that we were unable to capture the enemy’s command center.”

“You’re really running away fast. Let’s clean up the bridgehead as soon as the sun rises.”

“Wouldn’t the troops have been exhausted from the intense maneuvers and attacks all night long?”

“We have to squeeze them out. That’s what the assault infantry and cavalry were sent in for in the first place.”

The morning that seemed never to come was slowly approaching, and when it did, it would soon reveal clearly how the battle at dawn had proceeded.

The sound of fierce gunfire could still be heard, but it was gradually fading away toward the east.

In fact, it was obvious that the enemy’s guard brigade would be judged to be completely destroyed and lose its fighting power.

“Sergeant! This is a report from a messenger from the cavalry regiment. The 3rd Cavalry Squadron has encountered the enemy cavalry and destroyed them. Most of the enemy officers, including the regimental commander, have been killed, and their military flags have also been captured.”

“Wow. You caught an unexpected big thing.”

It seemed like they hit the jackpot here too.

Where would the enemies who were pushed back at Yonggang run to? Since they couldn’t go north, they would have tried to join their main force.

It seems that sending the 3rd Cavalry Squadron equipped with breastplates to that end was quite effective.

If I hadn’t caught that, I would have been playing tag for a long time and was in a lot of pain, but luck was on my side.

Who would have thought that the enemy, who was being pushed back by the Russian cavalry and the friendly infantry brigade, would be caught right there?

“Tell them that they have achieved excellent results, and instruct them to leave the recovery of the area to the succeeding Nosoa Cavalry Battalion and the units under the 5th Brigade, and then rejoin the main force.”

“Understood, Mr. Turnip!”

“Hahaha! This reminds me of the China campaign, General! The Imperial Japanese Army prides itself on being the strongest in Asia, and you beat them up like the Boxer mob in China and annihilate them completely!”

Posh gave me a thumbs up and was full of praise.

“···Overall, it is an undeniable fact that the Japanese army was annihilated in this area.”

Pershing’s distraught voice was heard from beside him.

Just think about it. In this world right now, there is a group of people who operate not at the battalion level but in small and medium-sized units, and surround and annihilate an enemy of similar size with firepower and mobility.

How could you not be dumbfounded when you see that right in front of you?

Moreover, it was their common sense that firepower should be reduced as it was dispersed.

But it was strange to them when they began to supplement the lowest unit formations with equipment that would naturally belong in the artillery branch, such as machine guns and grenade launchers, which they would never have thought of.

And in that attack, a Japanese brigade that prided itself on being the best in Asia was completely destroyed.

This would be the second time that the Japanese army was surprised by Joseon’s extraordinary speed warfare.

One was a disaster through the ancestors’ ‘tactical evasive maneuver that distorted space and time’, and this time, an elite unit was blown away through an unprecedented tactical infantry maneuver.

More than half of the Guards Division was lost without even attempting a proper counterattack.

Later, when I train juniors at the military academy, I might be able to tell them something like this.

For generations, the nation of Joseon has valued speed warfare from the monarch down to the lowest common people, and enemies who were not accustomed to it usually ended up completely twisting the course of the war even after taking the capital.

I smiled to myself for a moment, then looked at Pershing, who still had an expression of incomprehension, and continued speaking.

“Of course, Captain. In fact, the enemy brigade will no longer exist on Earth.”

“This is nothing short of a break from the conventional tactical mold. The infantry tactics the Japanese army displayed were quite impressive, but this is···.”

“Haha, shall we say that the fall of linear tactics, known as the most basic of the basics, has finally come with a new dawn?”

Of course, the Japanese infantry brigades and their subordinate regiments must have been quite impressive to them.

Since the mountain troops were very organically connected, they posed a considerable threat to friendly forces engaged in defensive battles.

But the Japanese army that had been coming out in that manner was completely destroyed by something beyond common sense.

It would be natural for them to do so, since they were the first to demonstrate the precious infantry doctrine that had been learned by sacrificing millions of blood and flesh in the original world.

“Ultimately, three things are important. If you maintain surprise, speed, and firepower advantage, you can definitely wipe out any enemy.”

In fact, these were the most basic of the basic concepts of modern infantry tactics in the world I lived in.

Of course, it was a concept that had not yet found its place in the world of the 19th and very early 20th centuries, when densely packed skirmishers and concentrated frontal firepower by riflemen were still generally considered the best.

“But Europe still sees the firepower of well-organized skirmish lines and infantry concentrated at the front as the darling of modern warfare and the foundation of future warfare.”

“Well, I guess so. They still think that the firepower of a densely packed mountain barracks and the shock of an infantry charge are the most beautiful and can be a psychological blow to the enemy.”

Even after seeing the horrific circumstances of the Russo-Japanese War in the original world, the great powers remained the same.

Pershing might have been like that around World War I.

The superiority of infantry firepower displayed on the front lines was the superiority of firepower of the infantry lines operating rifles, and machine guns were special equipment that could only be used for a very short period of time. It was not for nothing that only Russia and Germany ordered large quantities of Maxims at that time.

Moreover, many people thought that heavy and cumbersome firearms were not suitable for infantry tactics because they hindered mobility.

You’re probably still thinking things like, ‘Any firepower or obstacle can be overcome with training and a fighting spirit,’ but it was clear that you couldn’t come to your senses when that was shattered right before your eyes, and by the hands of an Asian.

“The forward firepower of concentrated infantry cannot cope with flanking attacks. The battalion is too slow and heavy for infantry units to operate.”

“So you split the unit into companies and platoons?”

“Of course. That’s why we provided them with a large number of automatic weapons and other firearms.”

I continued talking with my arms crossed.

“But aren’t machine guns being used too slowly and dull?”

“Well, you can’t believe it even if you see it with your own eyes. Machine guns should be the basis and core of future infantry. The time will soon come when infantry warfare cannot even begin without them.”

In the distance, we could vaguely see friendly infantry disarming captured enemy soldiers and dragging them towards Pyongyang.

The number was larger than expected, so much so that the company assigned to collecting prisoners was not enough, and even the National Military Police and police officers from Pyongyang were dispatched to manage them?

“That’s why I even thought about giving machine guns to the squad level. That would be much more powerful, but… as you know, it’s difficult because it’s not feasible in the reality of our poor and small country.”

“Huh? No, not even a platoon, but a squad with machine guns···?”

At these words, not only Pershing, but also Foch, who was praising the operation of domestically produced artillery equipment, looked at me with surprised eyes.

“Well, if you think about it, it’s possible. It ties into what we were talking about earlier. Captain, let’s think about it together. How many pounds do those machine guns, especially the light ones like the Madsen that infantry can carry and operate, weigh?”

“But if you carry heavy equipment, your combat endurance will be-”

“Look, Captain. Infantrymen have to be able to overcome even that. The days of carrying only rifles and light packs are over.”

I suddenly remembered a photo I saw on the Internet one day comparing light infantry from the past and light infantry from the present.

They were the essence of infantry, carrying equipment several times heavier than in the past and going into battle under the name of ‘light infantry’.

“Infantry is a branch of the military that fights by holding the enemy’s gun to their chest, and at the same time, they exist to die and kill. In order for them to kill as many enemies as possible… we need to provide them with sufficient firepower and equipment.”

“So the commander gave you the machine guns?”

Instead of answering, I nodded and continued what I had been unable to say earlier.

“So, back to the story, Captain, that’s it. The future of infantry warfare will depend on how far these machine guns are distributed. We are a poor country, so we only distributed machine guns to some units, down to the company and platoon levels, but if a great power like you decides to do it, what I said is not impossible.”

After experiencing World War I, World War II, and the Korean War, each military’s desire for automatic weapons grew.

It goes without saying that there was no better way to introduce tactical flexibility than with a reinforced infantry unit.

It was not for nothing that the Chinese army whined to their superiors that they too needed to greatly strengthen their infantry firepower after being beaten by the US and South Korean infantry units.

You must have felt firsthand how hellish it is to fight against those who arm their entire formation with semi-automatic and automatic weapons and engage in infantry combat.

Of course, it was only later that China screamed that it could no longer fight a war after 53 years, as the saying goes that a sparrow would end up tearing its legs if it followed a stork, after using up all the ammunition in China.

In any case, it was convenient to think that the Japanese soldiers in front of me had experienced that terrible experience more than 50 years earlier.

“It’s amazing. I never thought I’d see such ‘strange’ things in the Orient.”

“It’s amazing… Actually, rather than being amazing, think of it as a part of a vague future. In the near future, this will become the basic infantry of each country. And you are lucky enough to be the first to see it.”

The decline of dense linear tactics and tactics centered on frontal firepower, and the image of future warfare that emphasizes mobility and firepower must have been faintly engraved in their minds.

And since they were the ones who would become our future enemies, it might have been possible to reveal their appearance to the world a little faster.