Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 268
Only Noblemtl
#268. The opening of the second front (2)
“Send a messenger to Jeonra Gwanchalsa Lee Do-jae, Im Byeong-chan who rose up in Jeongeup, and Yeonghakdang and Hwalbindang who are active somewhere in Jangseong, and tell them that in the name of His Majesty the Emperor and the Marshal’s Office, we will attack Jeonju Castle, Gunsan Port, and Beopseongpo. Then, request a joint attack from everyone.”
The uprising in the Honam region was much faster and more intense than in any other region.
Beginning with Im Byeong-chan of Jeongeup and the former Minbo Army and Confucian scholar group of Honam, the old bureaucratic forces including Lee Do-jae, the former Jeolla governor and the head of the Honam Defense Command Army, who had been dismissed from his post by the new government cabinet, rose up.
Foolishly, the new government’s pro-Japanese cabinet was repeating the same mistakes as before.
Because the existing bureaucracy, the people, and the local leaders were dissatisfied with the policies they had implemented, numerous exoduses of power followed, and they all came out to support the Emperor and the legitimate government of Hamheung and fight against the wicked Japanese.
“···Getting Yeonghakdang and Hwalbindang involved is a bit awkward.”
“It is an order from above. We will not ask about the past, but we will support anyone who can kill the Japanese. This is the iron rule of the Marshal’s Office.”
As he said, the Hamheung government did not spare support even for those who had been subjugated by them in the past.
Instead of providing them with some of the guns, ammunition, and supplies hidden throughout the country, the Hwalbindang and Yeonghakdang were engaged in guerrilla warfare, mainly in areas controlled by the Japanese military and the new government. Even bandits and thieves have their own country, you know.
In any case, the above-mentioned people willingly agreed to join the fight against the Japanese military and traitors.
The words, “Aren’t we all the same Koreans, the same people?” seemed to have made me put aside my stale emotions for a moment and go out to fight on the battlefield.
In any case, everyone who could be armed, from the leaders of society to local gentry and bandits, took up arms and came out to fight, vowing to destroy the Japanese and the traitors.
And this was to be, as the Pyongyang governor had once said, a holy war, a holy war against foreign invasion.
“How can we properly operate five different armies? They will just be defeated individually. Even if we occupy Jeonju, Gunsan, and Beopseongpo-”
“It’s not about confronting the enemy head-on. It’s about paralyzing the enemy’s main supply lines and administrative centers for just a little while, just for a little while.”
The number of Japanese troops deployed in the Jeolla Province was insignificant.
In total, there were only four companies with about 1,000 soldiers, and even if you included all the traitors sent down by the new government, it was not even a brigade.
“If Sunmuyeong can leisurely gather supplies and troops and retreat, our mission will be complete. If the enemy’s main force comes down from Hanseong and Jemulpo, then we can abandon the occupied territories without hesitation, withdraw to Naju, and switch back to a guerrilla warfare system.”
Perhaps similar things were happening in the Yeongnam and Hoseo regions.
The Gyeonggi region was still home to many occupying forces, so discontent was running rampant, and information was continually coming out that hatred for the invaders was on the verge of exploding.
“Juan Mountain and Pyongyang have done their job well enough, so now it is our turn to step forward. Let’s overthrow the traitors and push the Japanese into the sea. It is time for our 9th Brigade to make a mark on history!”
The brigade commander looked at his staff, holding his baton tightly, and spoke.
The time was approaching when, in exactly 10 years, the entire Honam region would turn into a battlefield.
Across the mountains and rivers, the call of a country in crisis was heard from afar.
***
“Hmm, is the Jinwi Force finally moving?”
Boom! Kukukung! Bang!
After occupying Jeongeup, the plan of Honam Garrison Commander Lim Byeong-chan and his volunteer soldiers was to move north to Iksan in order to head to Gunsan and Jeonju.
It was thanks to the calculation that if we could just occupy Iksan, we would be able to force those damned traitors and the Japanese into the absurdity of having to split the force.
However, contrary to expectations that they would be quickly defeated, the resistance of the rebels who pledged loyalty to the new government was formidable.
Despite the deaths or escapes of their military leaders, they dared to escape to Gobu-eupseong near Jeongeup with some commanders to maintain order and gather the remaining troops.
In the end, they judged that it would be difficult to advance north into the Jeonbuk region without stabilizing the rear, so they led their main force to attack here.
Beginning with the volunteers who rose up in Jeongeup, and including volunteers who responded from Sunchang, Gochang, Yeonggwang, Imsil, and other places, a force of about 3,000 men was gathered, and they were immediately on the attack without waiting.
And then the 9th Brigade of Naju sent a messenger to them.
The messenger introduced himself as a staff officer of the 9th Brigade, but he was very careful with his words.
It seemed as if most of the important content was in the text he had brought, and that anyone else should ask him about anything else.
Lim Byeong-chan, who had been watching the battle for a while, slowly read the letter that the messenger had brought.
Thanks to this, he briefly missed the spectacular sight of old cannons captured from the government office firing at the rebels of the new government resisting in the town fortress of Iksan, but what was important to him now was not seeing the 40 or so cannons and guns firing.
“Yes. The Brigade Commander is requesting Lim Byeong-chan’s joint attack.”
As soon as the messenger finished speaking, the gunfire resumed.
The cannons fired dizzily, and a variety of bullets struck the walls of Gobu Fortress.
It was extremely rare to see so many direct hits from artillery fire, ranging from old-fashioned water cannons and rocket launchers to explosive shells from an unknown gun (an Armstrong cannon, a cannon that fires high-explosive shells) that had come from unknown sources.
Not far from the battery, grenade launchers that had been issued at any given time were spitting out fire.
The messenger felt a sense of foreboding as he watched the old gun barrels and the new grenade launchers fire together in unison.
“What exactly do you want from us?”
“Ah, the brigade commander will join forces with former Jeolla Province Governor Lee Do-jae, who is gathering troops near Jeonju Castle, to reclaim Jeonju Castle, and then join forces with the Hoseo volunteer army to attack Gongju Castle, where the Chungcheong Province governor’s office is located.”
“So, are we supposed to go to Gunsan?”
“Yes. We have to keep the Japanese’s attention until the Sunmuyeong of Pyongyang safely withdraws to Hamgyong Province.”
bang!
“We’ve broken through the gates! Hurrah!”
“Long live the Korean Empire!”
A loud noise and cheers were heard. The rebels who were blocking the advance of the righteous army by firing fiercely on the walls could feel the fear and confusion.
It looks like several explosive rounds had landed properly.
When the gate that seemed incapable of opening no matter how hard he pounded it was destroyed, Im Byeong-chan shouted with a loud voice that made it seem like he had spent his entire life studying, while holding his sword.
“Tell the central army to fire so that the enemies on the wall cannot raise their heads!”
Then, as the drums began to beat madly and the trumpets blared to signal the advance, the infantry, although loosely organized, began to advance little by little, firing volleys.
“And have the vanguard Jeon Hae-san take up a sword and a cannon and occupy the wall.”
Then once again the drums and trumpets sounded and the red flags waved.
And soon after, men armed with swords and revolvers were seen running at high speed towards the gate, covered by friendly infantry.
The rebels took courage and aimed their guns at them from the walls, but the cannons had just finished reloading.
Boom! Boom!
Lim Byeong-chan, without a single frown amidst the loud noise, asked the messenger again.
“Um, how far have we talked?”
The hem of his white robe fluttered in the wind that blew with the artillery fire.
“I asked you to attract the attention of the Japanese.”
“Understood. As soon as we capture Gobu-eupseong, we will advance straight towards Gunsan.”
‘Gunsan, Gunsan.’
Lim Byeong-chan had a feeling that perhaps that would be the last battlefield he would face.
Unlike Jeonju Castle, it was directly guarded by fierce Japanese warships and elite soldiers.
“Gunsan is no different from a valuable area to the enemy. The Righteous Army of the previous year, the Year of Eulmi, also failed to capture Gunsan. So when the enemy’s main force comes, do not fight but withdraw. Our resistance must last as long as possible.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Go back quickly. You’ll have a ton of work to do from now on.”
Lim Byeong-chan said as he watched the final stages of the battle.
They had held out for about four hours, but now the rebels were finally carrying out their orders.
“charge!”
The vanguard was already breaking through the broken gate.
The brave vanguard Jeon Hae-san, who had come from Naju to fight the Japanese, led a shock troop of police officers who had defected and joined the volunteer army as soon as the war broke out, and was shedding the blood of traitors.
The rebels tried to fight back, thrusting their long muskets, but the advance ranks collapsed under the shock of the artillery fire, and they themselves collapsed.
The vanguard began to slaughter them mercilessly as they fled, and the infantry advanced behind them, climbing up the wall and planting the flag of the commander of the Honam garrison.
“···This place is almost a fall.”
“After punishing the traitors one by one, we will advance to Gunsan.”
“Okay, then. Good luck.”
The messenger saluted and began to return the way he had come.
Seeing the Taegeukgi, which should have been waving like it was, now waving vigorously again, he rode his horse toward the rest of the region. To lead the loyalists of Honam toward the most worthy death.
***
“We’re in trouble! The rioters have entered Gwangju-bu and the Namhansanseong area!”
“From Yeongnam, Honam, and Hoseo, the mob is on the move all the way to Gangwon and Gyeonggi! We urgently request the support of the Park Geun-hye Army!”
Every day, the so-called new government of Joseon was whining about not being able to sweep away even a single rioter on its own.
Hasegawa initially ignored the request for support as if it was bothersome, but after sleeping on it for a night, he felt a chill as he saw the mob’s momentum grow stronger.
As if a terrible plague were spreading, the mob was rapidly expanding its influence by linking up with one another in areas beyond the reach of the Japanese military and the new government.
And the news that the rioters had advanced to the Gwangju area and Namhansanseong, not far from Gyeongseong, and were destroying the 2,000 new government troops defending the area and establishing a bridgehead there shocked not only the garrison headquarters but also the 1st Army headquarters.
“Map, bring me a map!”
“Yes, four!”
Lieutenant General Hidenori Tojo asked his staff member standing next to him to bring him a map, then started leafing through the documents.
Moments later, when his staff brought back the map, he could see that this was a well-planned series of two-front escalations.
“Commander, take a look at this.”
“You’re busy, so why don’t we look at the map first and then talk?”
“You have to see this first. This is the strategy of the Joseon bastards.”
What he placed on the table was a book that was neither thick nor thin.
And it was a Japanese translation of 『Theory of War on the Peninsula』, which was written directly by Lieutenant General Kim Si-hyeok of the North Korean Army, who was the main person responsible for repelling several large-scale attacks by the Japanese army in Pyongyang.
It was also Lieutenant General Hidenori Tojo who personally harassed Korean language students within the army.