Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 310
Only Noblemtl
#310. Glory of the North (2)
“Tell the Tongyeong Army to launch a full-scale offensive at dawn today. I strongly urge them to annihilate those who are stuck on the plateau.”
“Understood, Sir.”
If the Tongyeong Army, which was testing the enemy’s defenses on the highland side, switched to an offensive, the enemy would have no choice but to surrender Wonsan with their eyes wide open even if they realized our intentions.
To be honest, the reserve force was insufficient, and the job became easier thanks to the foolish decision to stretch out a thin and long defensive line to block the friendly forces crossing the river.
Of course, the remaining ammunition is now tight, but it was worth investing in for the operation to recapture Wonsan.
For security reasons, all operational orders were now transmitted only by messenger, not by telegram or cable.
Although it was possible to use a cipher telegraph, unfortunately there was no telegraph office between Wonsan and Hamheung that could receive it, so it was eventually decided to use a messenger.
Although it was very slow compared to telegrams, there was nothing better for maintaining security at the moment.
“Left foot! Left foot! Stay still!”
From a distance, I could see people doing formal training.
Judging by the fact that most of them had long hair, they were clearly newly recruited female personnel.
Out of the 300,000 troops called up this time, 70,000 were women.
And as they looked at them, the naval officers made expressions that seemed somewhat displeased.
“By the way, Commander, I see a lot of women with guns on the streets these days. Are you going to send them to the battlefield too?”
“They are not combat troops. While all those who can fight are on the front lines, they will guard Hamgyeong Province and take care of essential administrative tasks. In case there is a shortage of troops, we are prepared to maintain security in the occupied areas in case of an emergency…”
“That’s fortunate.”
Well, maybe it’s because it’s the Navy.
Before the war, before the establishment of the Navy, the vast majority of these people had worked on ships, and for them, superstitions were something they could not ignore.
Well, by the way, overall the preparations were going smoothly.
“We have also checked the weather conditions. Commander, the swelter will begin tonight. It will probably be difficult to detect until the ship approaches the port.”
“It’s the perfect day for infiltration.”
It was a moonless situation, so it was understandable. If they were to attempt infiltration at a time like that… I thought that they would need to have surveillance equipment like TOD to prevent their approach.
Of course, in September 1904, the Japanese military had no such surveillance equipment, and even the best countermeasure, coastal surveillance outposts, were only scattered here and there.
If they had that kind of force, they would probably be concentrating on maintaining the defensive line in Gowon-eup.
“They probably didn’t think we would land in the first place.”
“I hope so···.”
Of course, in preparation for any unforeseen circumstances that might arise, he had ordered the direct forces commanded by Hong Beom-do to be mobilized and the coastal outposts around Wonsan Bay to be cleared in advance, so it would not be a major hindrance during the operation.
Overall, the operational preparations were almost complete, with only one thing left to do.
“If the commissioner approves, we will begin the operation at dawn today.”
“···I approve the operation as of now. We must recapture Wonsan.”
Only then can we recapture both Hanseong and Pyongyang.
Regardless of the outcome of the Battle of Bongcheon, we had to use every means and method at our disposal to completely drive the enemy out of the entire Korean Peninsula.
This moment, with the Japanese field army tied down in Manchuria, was the best opportunity to launch a counterattack, but it was also the last opportunity.
“Get the 2nd Assault Infantry Battalion on board.”
“all right.”
The staff of the Sunmuyeong and the naval officers all began to transmit the approval of the operation to the relevant personnel with nervous expressions.
The number of destroyers on alert in the open sea increased, and a noticeable number of police officers, military police, and other security forces began to guard the area around the port.
“···This is the beginning.”
In just a few hours, the Korean Empire’s version of ‘D-Day’ would usher in a new dawn.
And as that thought occurred to me, I unconsciously remembered and hummed the theme song from a very old movie, ‘The Greatest Operation on Earth’, which came out less than 20 years after the end of World War II.
As the title of the theme song and the lyrics say, it was going to be the longest day.
Many people will no longer be able to see the sun rise and set on this day and will be desperately waiting for this day to end.
So, when dawn finally dawned, a brilliant future awaited us that would make the decline of the past decades a complete past.
I stood up believing it, because now I had to see those who would be at the forefront of that future.
***
Before the war, Pier 3 in Heungnam was a place where sea cucumbers and all sorts of rare goods and manufactured goods from Japan, as well as rice and cowhide, were piled high.
This place was a symbol of Hamheung’s wealth before the war, and at the same time, it was also the starting point of the ‘Great Little Route’, which the Russians called the lifeline of Vladivostok and the Amur region.
But when the war broke out, the volume of logistics decreased to 10% of the war-time level, and the docks in Heungnam began to empty out.
Instead of ships and goods, the ports and warehouses were filled with soldiers and their weapons, and the streets where customs inspectors used to roam were filled with armed naval officers and sailors, a clear sign that this was no longer a civilian establishment.
Occasionally, the Russian fleet from Vladivostok or supply ships and Russian steamers under their escort would come in every few months to purchase essential supplies, but they could not fill the empty docks.
And at Pier 3, which had been empty for months, hundreds of soldiers had been stationed there for several days.
Even those with very tense expressions were killing time as usual, cleaning their guns and acting cute.
“What on earth is the reason why our battalion was gathered here?”
“I heard the seal pups were going somewhere. If not, wouldn’t they be giving us three meals a day, including this precious canned meat?”
The soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the Assault Infantry Regiment, who could be called the medalists of this war, were the main characters.
They were chatting to each other, cleaning their rifles and munching on cans of precious meat, a rare commodity until the war ended.
“Do you know where we are going, Commander?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t receive any orders at all. By the way, aren’t you going to eat that biscuit? How about exchanging it for my cigarettes?”
Even the 2nd Battalion Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Kim Si-jin, couldn’t figure it out.
Just a few days ago, right after the entire battalion was ordered to move to the docks, there was no significant talk.
There was no news from the regimental commander, and although I asked the occasional Sunmuyeong and Marshal’s Office staff several times, all I got in return were incomprehensible smiles and silence, so it was driving me crazy.
But I couldn’t go out and ask my brother.
The outside was strictly guarded, and the commander of the military police had threatened that anyone who left would be severely punished for disobedience.
all.
In the end, without even getting any sunlight, I just ate the food given to me for several days, and killed time by relying on the electric light and thinking about this and that.
“1st Platoon Commander, where on earth are we going?”
“Well… wouldn’t it be common sense to go to Wonsan, Commander?”
“Hey, you’re going to Wonsan and doing this kind of crap? It’s such a waste.”
Lieutenant Kim Si-jin chuckled as he chatted with the company commanders about this and that.
At first we talked about various topics, but starting yesterday, we settled on one topic.
There was a long tactical discussion between the company commander and the battalion staff regarding ‘where exactly will the 2nd Battalion go?’
After putting their heads together and analyzing the situation around them, they were almost 90% certain that they would be deployed in an operation similar to that of the Sunmuyeong direct unit that had landed on Ulleungdo.
However, unlike the previous landings, which were only company-level landings, this time they were transporting an entire battalion, which was much larger in scale, so there were concerns.
After collecting bits and pieces here and there to make a makeshift board and continuously deriving possible landing points, the plan was narrowed down to two or three places.
“Wonsan or Dongrae. No matter where you go, you’ll just end up in trouble.”
“No matter how you look at it, it’s Wonsan. It’s too dangerous to go all the way to Dongrae. The North Sea fleet under Haesamwi was also beaten by the Japanese, so how can we leisurely go there, trusting our navy?”
“Oh, it’s not Wonsan. Isn’t the Commander-in-Chief already leading the Guards Division in an operation to conquer Wonsan? There’s no need to transport us by ship. We outnumber the enemy by three to one anyway.”
“It could be an operational deception. There are too many suspicious aspects to say that Dongrae is the expected landing point. Even though they are our superiors, they are really hiding things to an extreme.”
While the company commanders and battalion staff officers were talking, presenting their own analyses and guesses, Lieutenant Kim Si-jin said while chewing on a piece of hardtack.
It was the one I exchanged for a pack of cigarettes I gave to a soldier earlier.
“If I had to bet, I’d go with Dongrae. Going to Wonsan is too inefficient for Sunmu-yeong, who keeps talking about operational efficiency and combat efficiency, or for the Marshal’s Office, who trembles at the thought of a single bullet or cartridge.”
“I, Commander.”
“Besides, our older brother… no, even the old man is suspicious. You never know. If they’re doing a landing operation like this, it could be an attempt to tie up the enemy’s forces all over the country. Think about it. Why would they insist on maintaining security while enduring such inefficiencies when they’re just landing one assault infantry battalion? Don’t you think that there’s a chance that they could intentionally leak information to the Japanese and make them think seriously about it?”
Lieutenant Kim Si-jin said as he moved the stones on the platform here and there.
He seemed to hear a bit of a commotion outside, but he paid no particular attention and continued his story.
“And what if these measures… are being carried out simultaneously by many of our standing forces in Hamgyeong-do by Sunmuyeong? Hamgyeong-do is located along the east coast, so there are many ports and many points where the Japanese military can be sufficiently threatened. In Hamgyeongbuk-do alone, there are large and small ports in Najin, Songjin, and Chongjin, and in Hamgyeongnam-do, although it is difficult to compare with Hamheung, there are facilities in Bukcheong and Dancheon where ships can enter and leave….”
And then he continued speaking with eyes full of interest, not even noticing that someone was approaching him, as if he were the commander of an entire field army.
“There are six or seven major ports in Hamgyeong Province right now. What if there are units that are actually attempting to land? Of course, some of them may be fake, but from their perspective, they can’t rule out the possibility that they’re all real. This East Coast is the only sea where neither the Japanese nor we have a clear upper hand. Normally, one ship can transport one company, so if our side succeeds in securing a significant number of government-run ships, we may not know when, where, and how much they will mobilize…”
“Excuse me, Commander?”
“Anyway, it will take quite some time for the Japanese to properly understand our intentions… and if that happens, we can make the heads of the General Headquarters burst. In the meantime, we can launch a high-level offensive against the Japanese who haven’t figured out our intentions.”
“That guy is really special. Don’t you think he’d like to take a position as a staff member at Sunmuyeong?”
Captain Kim Si-jin was smiling with his arms crossed in high spirits, but then he turned his head in surprise at the familiar voice he heard from behind him.
Among the battalion staff officers whose faces were pale, the sergeant smiled jokingly and snatched a piece of biscuit from Lieutenant Kim Si-jin’s hand and put it in his mouth.