Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 286
Only Noblemtl
#286. Suspended Sentence (2)
A British journalist who had just gotten an interview with the Emperor came up to me and was very pleased with himself.
It seemed that they were the ones that Hong Beom-do brought with him when he retreated last time.
He asked me in English if he could talk to me for a moment, and I nodded.
“Our lord would like to ask you a few questions.”
“···Originally, you would have to get formal permission from the Sunmuyeong and do it in a place where an adjutant is present.”
Jo Dong-yoon spoke angrily from the side.
Well, there was no concept of public information here yet, and there were no separate military officers like in the modern Korean military, so reporters tended to do this.
Of course, we did not want to control the press corps as the Japanese military did or go that far, but it was a necessary measure to at least prevent sensitive information from being leaked.
That may be the reason why Jo Dong-yoon reacts so sharply.
One of the reasons why all the battles Russia attempted to lift the siege of Lushun failed was because of the failure of the domestic media control.
“It is said that His Majesty the Emperor has also given separate permission for this.”
“···Oh my, this guy is really.”
Jo Dong-yoon’s expression became quite distorted.
The reason why the Russian army, which was pushed back from Telisu, continued to retreat immediately thereafter was because the outline of the operation was indiscriminately revealed by high-ranking officials and generals during the ‘victory prayer’ held by the Tsar every week.
“Chief of Records, would you mind stepping aside for a moment?”
“If sensitive information comes out, it’s a big problem.”
“I know, I know.”
I gestured that it was okay and told him to go back to Sunmuyeong. Then I turned my head again and looked at the servant boy and the reporter and said,
“Do you have any questions for the principal?”
When I spoke fluent English before the boy I was bringing along as an interpreter could even begin to interpret for me, the reporter looked surprised.
“Oh, no, did you know that the Commander speaks English this well?”
“Just a little bit. Yes, what is it that you have to ask His Majesty for permission to interview?”
“Oh, nice to meet you. My name is Frederick MacKenzie, a reporter for the London Daily Mail. Can I ask you a few questions about this war?”
Well, if it’s to that extent, I agreed to do an interview as long as no sensitive information was leaked.
And to the several questions that followed, I gave only theoretical answers.
The main issues were, what should Russia do when it is surrounded in Lushun? The Korean army, despite its victory, had to continue to retreat. What should they do next?
To them, our war may seem like nothing more than an exciting pastime in the East.
“···Last question, Commander. The European military experts claim that the chances of Korea’s victory decrease with time.”
“Well, you could see it that way. But we have repelled the invaders many times. As long as we have the strength, we will fight to the end.”
“That kind of determination is an important point, but ultimately, the general opinion is that the Korean military and government are weaker than Japan’s. No matter how well the Korean military fights, it will be gradually worn down, and if the war continues for more than a year, it will not be able to endure it and will collapse. Do you have any comments on this claim?”
Overseas, the so-called military experts—retired officers, as they were called—were increasingly underestimating our chances of victory. This was especially true as Lushun was in danger and the Russian Army suffered several defeats.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that what I’m going to say will change. That’s what I was prepared for when I gave up Hanseong and withdrew to Pyeongan Province, and then to Hamgyeong Province.
I closed my eyes for a moment, then looked back at the reporter. He also seemed to be expecting my answer.
“···The Korean Empire will never surrender. This is the only answer that I and the Marshal’s Office can give them. Will this be enough?”
Then I glanced at the notebook he was writing in, and there I could see just one line of writing.
『Korea Will Never Surrender』
I thought, “Korea will never surrender.” That’s not a bad headline.
“This will suffice, Commander. Thank you for your valuable time.”
“Have a nice time in Hamheung.”
I spoke in a rough tone, then took out my pocket watch, checked the time, and left.
Soon this became a slogan used all over the world to symbolize our brilliant resistance, but it was only towards the end of the war that it became known.
***
“They’re doing all sorts of things. Those 1st Army guys are sticking their heads out to the Joseon guys to get eaten.”
“The 2nd Division returned with only 4,000 men alive, isn’t that a complete statement? Those idiots, if things were as they were, they should have been slowly advancing north toward Bongcheon and blocking our rear. No, if they keep going like that, won’t the Joseon guys suddenly come out and block the Amnok River or something?”
“Surely not. They probably don’t have the resources left.”
The news of the 1st Army’s defeat spread like wildfire to the 2nd and 3rd Armies. The main headquarters on the mainland were also shocked by this defeat, and for the time being they only gave orders to the troops deployed in Joseon to avoid direct combat with the enemy and surround the northeastern region. It seemed that the situation was not just serious.
“They say Marshal Oyama is furious. You can tell by the way he got angry when he suggested replacing Kuroki.”
“But you never ended up replacing it?”
“Well, I heard they decided to leave him alone for now since he contributed to stabilizing the rear front.”
In fact, it was close to protecting the same Satsuma family.
However, the fact that Marshal Oyama lost his temper was not a serious matter.
Securing supply lines, advancing into Manchuria, and subduing Korea were all failures.
It was reported that a large-scale purge, known externally as the ‘Great Southern Suppression’, was carried out for about two to three months, suppressing the rioters and temporarily restoring the supply line over the course of the year.
However, the enemy’s main force was still intact, and they were just hiding here and there to take shelter from the rain for a while.
These problems left supply lines exposed to constant risk.
As a result, the Korean Army Command and the Imperial General Headquarters gave up half of their use of supply lines within Korea.
Instead, he personally ordered a Japanese transport fleet to transport supplies and troops to Dalian, which was an incredibly difficult task.
As a result, a trinity of chaos was unfolding in which the workers, dock workers, and even steamships were exhausted and their efficiency rapidly declined.
Although the supplies were moored at the port, it was taking quite a long time for them to reach the front line.
“Can’t you get it quickly through Jinnampo?”
“It will take time to recover there. Those North Korean bastards destroyed all the port facilities and warehouses there.”
“···Tch.”
In preparation for this situation, the Japanese Navy attempted to secure Jinnampo and then open up a supply route along the west coast connecting Yokohama, Gunsan, Jemulpo, and Jinnampo, but they were left with a headache as the Joseon bastards destroyed all of the ports and warehouse facilities.
Thanks to this, the Corps of Engineers had a lot of work left to do.
Given that it would likely take at least eight weeks to rebuild the port facilities at Jinnampo, it seemed difficult to use them right now, with the fighting raging on.
If Jinnampo properly serves as a transit point, we will have more time to sort supplies and transport troops and personnel.
“Those persistent Joseon bastards. That’s why we had to get them on our side···.”
“Who is it? It all came to this because of the stupid Foreign Ministry guys who were hesitating.”
The commander of the 2nd Army and the chief of staff were licking their lips in regret, blaming the poor Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
If he had been an opponent of that level and fought alongside Roske as an ally, it would have been clear that he would have become an unrivaled force.
If that were the case, true Asianism would have become a romance itself that could be seen by the entire world.
While the commander was letting his imagination run wild for a moment, the chief of staff spoke to him again.
“Instead, the 13th, 14th, and 16th divisions were urgently organized into the Yalu River Army, and they were given the missions that the 1st Army was supposed to carry out. I don’t think you need to worry too much. Oh, and the 15th division is said to remain in the ROK Army and provide operational support.”
It seemed like the 1st Army wouldn’t be able to advance in the end.
Well, since the 2nd Division was practically annihilated, it would have been a problem even if they had come up.
Even if they were to reorganize, it would take more than a month, and even then, most of the replacement troops were deployed to Lushun first, which was a problem.
In that case, it would have been the right decision to send the fully-organized Yalu River Army north, even if it was a newly established division.
“But the Roske cavalry corps commanded by that bastard Mischenko is following us, so do you think they will be able to arrive in time?”
Just thinking about the 1st Siberian Army Corps was a story that made me sick.
While the 3rd Army began a full-scale attack on Lushun, the 2nd Army had to engage in an extreme hide-and-seek game with the Russian army, which was attempting to send reinforcements toward Lushun.
Pavel Mishenko, who had been harassing the 1st Army together with the North Koreans in Pyongyang for a long time, and the tenacity of the resistance of the 1st Siberian Corps he commanded was indescribable.
In particular, he was no ordinary player, having learned some of the Joseon people’s fighting methods.
“If only the 4th Division troops had remained intact···.”
At Telisu, about 130 km north of Port Arthur, the 2nd Army suffered a pretty painful blow from the 1st Siberian Corps, its divisions slow to recover after the Battle of Nanshan.
The damaged units had not been able to properly replace their losses for over two months, so they had to fight with insufficient combat power.
Although they had suffered a 10% loss of troops due to the incomprehensible combat orders of Lieutenant General Zasulich in the Battle of the Yalu River, Major General Mischenko, who had shown good results against the 1st Army in Pyongyang, and now had been promoted to Lieutenant General, was even more aggressive than before.
As a result, in the Battle of Telisu, the 2nd Army was severely beaten by the Russians who had taken advantage of the advantageous terrain and failed to clear the area north of Port Arthur.
And because of the defeat in this battle, a lukewarm battle continued on all sides.
In order to quickly resolve the situation, the 1st Cavalry Brigade belonging to the Akiyama area under the 2nd Army was deployed to intercept the 1st Siberian Corps, but the Roske cavalrymen, avoiding an unfavorable fight, leisurely withdrew from Telisu.
And in the rear of Lushun, a persistent game of hide-and-seek was being waged here and there.