Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 251



Only Noblemtl

#251. Under the Frozen Mountains (1)

“Do you think they can deal with the Japanese? The Siberian Military District troops, which are lacking in terms of troop organization and personnel, are no match for them.”

It was an undeniable fact that even if the 3rd and 4th Siberian Army Corps were attached, the overall strength was greatly inferior.

Only when the elite grenadier units and rifle divisions deployed by Russia in the West are returned to Manchuria can there be any hope in the ground war.

“That would be difficult. Commander Kuropatkin also tried several times, but was ignored by his country. Our ally, France, and Britain, which supports our enemy, are both hesitant to send our elite divisions to the Far East.”

“Is it because of the German Empire?”

“Well, I guess that’s what it is.”

Is that the problem after all?

If only as a check on the emerging German Empire as a potential enemy, France and Britain were extremely fearful of the movement of elite Russian divisions from west to east.

“Instead, the Baltic Fleet will set sail soon. If the Baltic Fleet sets sail and lifts the siege of Port Arthur, everything will go very well.”

The Baltic Fleet, which had to sail thousands of kilometers and take months to arrive, would not be able to hold out in Pyongyang until they arrived. Still, it was better than doing nothing, so I sighed and listened to his story.

“Anyway… the news of victory from Pyongyang has flown to St. Petersburg, so now the high-ranking officials in the War Ministry will probably take action in some way if they have any ideas. In any case, on behalf of the Russian Imperial Army, I congratulate you on this victory.”

“···thank you.”

···Honestly, if it had been France or Germany, they would not have missed this opportunity and would have tried to defend Lushun without having to defend it directly, and would have tried to expand the results even further by deploying ground forces to the Korean Peninsula, but it was just regrettable.

After all, the Russian army has always been a source of fear due to its large size, and has never been one to instill fear through advanced doctrine or aggressive behavior.

After I drank down everything left in my glass, I turned back to Sunmuyoung.

The sky, which had been calm for a while, began to become covered with dark clouds again.

***

“I told you not to move your troops so recklessly.”

Lieutenant General Kuroki, who was barely able to suppress his anger, looked coldly at Lieutenant General Asada, who was trembling, not knowing what to do.

And next to him, he could see the 12th Division Commander Inoue laughing at him as if he was trying to seduce him.

“Wow, I thought this was the perfect opportunity···.”

“So you left the entire 1st Brigade behind in the desert?”

Kuroki tried to control his emotions as much as possible, but that did not stop the 10,000 or so troops, including the 1st Guards Brigade, from returning after melting away like snow in just one day.

“···So how many troops are left?”

“The only troops left in the Guards Division are the two regiments of the 2nd Guards Brigade, but even these have suffered significant damage, so the actual combat strength will be less than 4,000.”

“The remaining strength of the Guards Artillery Regiment is almost meaningless. However, thanks to the fact that the heavy and ammunition battalions are in the rear, many of them survived… I think they’ll be able to maintain that number.”

At his staff’s words, Kuroki threw his baton on the floor.

Now that even the Guards Division had become crippled, the best methods could not be used.

Originally, the plan was to form a front line while the Guards Division pressured the enemy and pressure the Joseon bastards from all sides.

“The 12th Division lost more than half of its strength in the early battle, the 2nd Division lost its troops due to the enemy’s destruction of trade, and the Guards Division lost its troops by sticking its head into the enemy’s mouth. It’s quite a feat. Isn’t it?”

“I would like to apologize to His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire of Japan by committing seppuku here…”

As he spoke with an expression that was almost tearful, Lieutenant General Kuroki became angry again as if he was incredulous.

“Shut up! Are you planning to evade all this responsibility by just dying?! If you’re going to commit seppuku, do it after you’ve won the war! If you cut open the ship alone now, will the dead soldiers come back?!”

“Your Majesty, please calm down.”

The staff around him desperately tried to stop their commander, feeling that he was about to lose his breath.

Lieutenant General Kuroki took a deep breath as he accepted the sincerity of his staff members and immediately continued speaking at a rapid-fire pace.

“Lieutenant General Asada, if you have time, return to Gyeongseong immediately! Then, organize a follow-up reserve force and reorganize the Guards Division. We have to break through the defense line outside Pyongyang before the end of the year.”

“Huh, you mean the reserve force?”

Lieutenant General Kuroki ignored Lieutenant General Asada’s stupid question and spoke to the 4th Regiment Commander, Colonel Umezawa, who was standing behind him. He spoke in a much more relaxed tone than when he spoke to Lieutenant General Asada.

“Colonel Umezawa, I will formally report to the Imperial Headquarters, so take charge of the newly established 1st Guards Brigade and focus on reorganizing it. Even someone like you will definitely be of help in reorganizing the unit.”

“Oh, are you talking about the office?”

“Within the entire Guards Division, which has lost its mind, there is no room for discrimination with someone of your level of skill. In any case, return to Gyeongseong together, reorganize your troops, and come out like a swarm.”

He looked toward Pyongyang, sighing along with his cold words.

After verifying all the information he had received from the survivors of Nampo, he could tell that the enemies were by no means easy.

Some said their advance was like a thunderbolt, others said their defenses were as solid as a wall.

“What are you going to do now?”

“The enemies… are quite a good bunch. The Guards Division also made a big mistake, but….”

They were flawless in terms of infantry operations, firepower, and even the moment of decision.

If the headquarters wanted to move towards a short-term battle, it would only mean that they would fight as they wanted.

It would be the same as letting the friendly units that rush out get eaten one by one.

So a slightly different approach was needed.

“Tell the 2nd Division, which will follow, to quickly advance to Sariwon. Since the powder pass is out of the question, we have no choice but to deal with them using the regular method.”

He saw the route of advance between Sariwon-Hwangju-Heukgyo-Junghwa, leading to the west of Pyongyang.

It was an obvious point that everyone could have predicted, but it was also an essential area for offensive action.

If we can just grab this place and form a front line, we can strangle our enemies.

“Once the 12th Division and 2nd Division troops are gathered, we will launch a frontal attack on Junghwa. Even if we suffer casualties, there is nothing we can do. We will drive them out of the fortress with the number of troops and firepower, and then advance directly into Heukgyo and Junghwa. If we do that…”

By forming a breakthrough, we were able to disperse the enemy’s firepower in an instant.

Although there would be no origin point like during the Sino-Japanese War, there would be plenty of reserve forces and other reserve forces at that time, and some of them could be sent to the right wing of Pyongyang Castle, including Moranbong, to launch attacks from all sides.

If we launch an all-out offensive like that and create a proper breakthrough in just one place, just one place…

“If we plant the Japanese flag in Pyongyang, we can open the road to Uiju in an instant. So gather all the troops.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Kuroki acknowledged those formidable men, but promised to give them his all.

***

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Report on the Battle of Pyongyang by Korean, Russian, and Japanese Forces

Captain John Joseph Pershing, United States Army Observer Corps

Pyongyang, November 10, 1903

Attachment 1.

Minister, as I reported, the South Korean, Russian, and Japanese forces in Pyongyang began fighting on November 5. On November 3, the Emperor’s birthday, the Japanese forces in Seoul attempted a large-scale offensive led by the Imperial Guard Division.

As a member of the United States Air Force Observatory, we were able to obtain accurate information about the engagement from the Korean military command on the scene.

And we faced Asian armies using a new style of fighting.

The Japanese army was a very well-trained and elite force, and they spread their forces along the two routes leading to Pyongyang and launched very precise attacks. Their mobility, the bold determination of their command, and the fanatical attack of their infantry would not be inferior to any army in Europe.

Contrary to the Army Department’s predictions, the Korean army crushed all of their attack attempts with advanced artillery doctrine and unique infantry tactics in the face of the Japanese offensive that organically linked the skirmish lines of infantry battalions.

The Korean artillery actively utilized skilled observation teams and very modern communications to actively respond to the very fluid frontline situation. In addition, the direct and indirect fire of field guns equipped with recoil-mounted …

The most dramatic fighting took place in the port area southwest of Pyongyang called Nampo.

While the Korean army had some of its standing units pin down the main force of the Japanese Guards Division, they mobilized elite cavalry and an elite infantry regiment nicknamed “Rangers” to launch a surprise raid on the flank.

They lowered the basic tactical operation units, such as regiments and battalions, to companies and platoons.

Thus, by making very appropriate use of the infantry’s powerful firepower superiority, mobility, and surprise attack effect, they pushed the numerically superior Japanese army into a corner.

In this single attack, the Japanese army collapsed without even being able to put up any resistance.

In the night offensive, the Koreans moved deep and tenaciously to prevent the Japanese from regrouping.

While the classic Korean cuirassier annihilation of the Japanese elite cavalry was impressive, the use of elite infantry was even more dramatic.

The infantry tactics of the Korean army, which were different from those of the European countries, neutralized the Japanese army’s strength of flexible frontal firepower by dispersing troops to companies or lower and using concealed maneuvers.

In addition, as the size of the lowest tactical unit was lowered from a battalion to a company and platoon, the inevitable dispersion of firepower among each unit and the resulting weakening of combat power were addressed by actively deploying machine guns and firearms called ‘grenade launchers’, which were mainly used in the artillery branch, and utilizing ‘combined arms cooperation’.

As day broke, the battle became one-sided.

The Japanese suffered up to 10,000 casualties, with an entire brigade annihilated, while the South Koreans suffered only 10% of their losses, achieving one of the most powerful victories of the 20th century.

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