Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 317
Only Noblemtl
#317. Serenade for the finale (1)
“Now we will establish a defensive line here in Gojigun. If we deploy the artillery towards Muncheon and block the enemy’s pursuit, we will be able to hold out for quite some time. After all, the sea is in the hands of our Imperial Navy, and reinforcements that can help us turn the situation around will arrive soon.”
“That would be great.”
Lieutenant General Asada nodded and stretched out his legs on the chair he was sitting in, listening to the sounds of battle.
However, it was clear that the reserve force would be used much more than when maintaining the defensive line in the highlands, so there was some leeway.
He tried to figure out in his head how long he could last.
Since the supply lines of the Joseon people who had rushed out to the outskirts of Hamgyeong Province were clearly inferior to those of the Imperial Army, it was clear that they would quickly reach the end point of the offensive, and accordingly, it was predicted that it would take about two to four weeks until our forces could counterattack again.
Just as they were short on ammunition and supplies, their enemies were also suffering from a severe lack of supplies.
The only difference was who could more quickly replenish the manpower to make up for the shortage of materials.
I heard that the Joseon people were maintaining an army of 300,000 by conscripting even women, so it was obvious that they would persistently launch an offensive while the time limit for maintaining that army was limited.
“If we take it a long time, a month, a month, we can turn the tide of the battle in our favor again. Although the enemy outnumbers us by more than ten times, we still have a fleet and a port. If we can just hold out for them properly….”
Now, the force was less than 30,000 strong, but if they made good use of the terrain as the Joseon bastards had done, it was clear that they would be able to defeat an enemy more than ten times their size.
It was at that moment that they thought that maybe, just like Lord Dainan, who had fought against the shogunate’s army of over 200,000 with only 500 soldiers, they too could truly show themselves as warriors.
“But why are the gunfire so close?”
While we were planning a defensive operation, one of the staff members made a comment as if it was nothing.
If this were normal, I would have just scolded him and told him to stop talking nonsense, but thinking about it, I realized he was right.
It didn’t make sense that the gunfire could be heard so close when we were so far away from the front line.
And as soon as they heard his words, everyone became silent as if possessed.
Now that I think about it, it had been quite some time since we had moved far away from Gowon-eup, but the sound of battle that should have been faint was still heard without abating.
No, it seemed like it actually got closer.
“···Now that I think about it, that’s strange. Wasn’t there no news at all from the scouts?”
No information came from the scouts left behind just in case.
The staff also shook their heads and looked puzzled, saying they had no idea what was going on.
“This is coming from the south. It’s from the direction of Wonsan. What on earth is going on over there?”
Lieutenant General Hidenori looked toward Wonsan with a questioning expression.
Obviously there I heard a distinct noise.
But if you think about it logically, there’s no way the Joseon guys would pop out from there.
The seas belonged to the Imperial Navy, and their enemies were mere children who had just dipped their toes into the ocean.
“Hey, there must have been enemies in Wonsan. I think they must have suppressed the rioters who came out because they thought this was the right time. These days, with the conscription riots and such, isn’t it normal for the rebels to run wild? The garrison command also recently declared a state of emergency for the entire Wonsan area because of that.”
“If that’s the case, then that’s fortunate, but···.”
Even so, there was no denying that there was an ominous, unexplainable feeling.
Because if you catch a single rioter, you won’t hear a chain of explosions or gunshots.
I was just thinking that maybe they were heavily armed rioters.
“Excuse me, Commander. I got a call from the artillery battalion, but the heavy artillery hasn’t arrived yet. We’re running low on shells, so when will we get some more…”
“Come to think of it, Chijungbyeong, why is there still no news?”
“······.”
My anxiety grew even more. More than two hours had passed since I sent it, but there was still no response.
I ordered them to send up all the wagons loaded with supplies first, but not a single one returned.
The same was true for the messenger. I sent him on horseback alone, telling him to hurry and come back, but he never came back, no matter where he was or what he was doing.
What if the enemy, contrary to all expectations, is behind them?
So what if Wonsan fell and all contact was lost?
What if the enemy’s coordinated offensive was concentrated on the plateau, and even their own retreat was now within their calculations?
Hidenori felt a cold sweat run down his spine and goosebumps appeared on his face.
He quickly called in a battalion from the 2nd Reserve Infantry Division, which was resting, and told them to go down to Munchon and quickly find out what was happening, while also sending a few scouts in the direction of Wonsan.
As the unknown fear gradually became more and more tangible, even the calm Hidenori seemed to be overcome with fear.
***
As soon as they arrived in the direction of Munchon, they were faced with enemies quickly approaching.
They were coming to load up a wagon with something, and before we could even get into battle formation, they were already in the city.
But instead of taking up arms and shooting at them, they did something quite outrageous.
As if they had met an ally, they quickly ordered the ammunition and food to be brought from the supply depot in Muncheon.
For a moment, Lieutenant Colonel Kim Si-jin thought that the enemy had broken through before they could set up a defensive line, and then, feeling disillusioned, he immediately gave the order to attack.
They were caught in the crossfire from all directions without even knowing what was going on, and they fled, leaving behind abandoned carts and wildly running horses. Then, a unit suddenly appeared and blocked their escape route, annihilating most of them.
I thought I wouldn’t be able to block information by running away in all directions, but thanks to them I was able to buy some time.
“Commander, down! These guys are the heavy infantry. It seems like they really didn’t know we were here.”
“You’ve really hit their sore spot. We don’t have much time, so let’s set up a defensive line on Hill 300 right away. I know it’s hard to fight right after the forced march, but now we have to gather every bit of our strength and prepare for the final battle.”
Then he immediately called the squad leader in charge of the battalion’s Maxim guns and grenade launchers aside and began to personally select the positions of the machine gun positions.
For those who had virtually no artillery, these heavy weapons were the only things they could rely on.
“You guys, control the road towards Muncheon with firepower centered on the northern slope of Hill 300. If some of the enemies go down and attack Wonsan, it will be a big problem, so I want the Maxim Artillery Squad Leader to be especially careful and prepare firing reference points.”
“I will do that.”
Lieutenant Kim Si-jin didn’t say anything, but he was still thinking and thinking again. It was because he couldn’t come up with an answer to the question of whether he could buy time by using the city of Wonsan as a shield until the second wave of landings could properly arrive and support them.
And when we calculated the various cases and the power difference between the two sides, we determined that it was close to impossible.
‘Damn, if the city center and port were far apart, it might be worth fighting the street battles…’
“What if we had fought in the city?”
“If that had been the case, the port would have been directly attacked and the operation itself would have been ruined.”
Since the city center and port of Wonsan were connected, even if they were to use the city center as a shield to buy time against the Japanese army, which was dozens of times more numerous, if the enemy had destroyed the port so that it could not be used, the operation would have effectively failed.
Even if you get a good exchange rate against your enemies.
Moreover, it was difficult to guarantee victory in street fighting.
Even if it was said that those with inferior numbers had the advantage, that was something that could only be said when the size of the friendly forces was significant.
With only one battalion of troops, it was impossible to last long in an urban combat environment where large numbers of troops were sure to pour in from various directions.
So it would have been better to use the tactics that the assault infantry was best at.
In keeping with the offensive operational doctrine of always fighting the majority with the minority, the defensive line was set up right under the enemy’s chin, where it would pose the greatest threat, and would last only a few hours.
And, rather than having the enemy advance through multiple routes, we are forced to go to a single location and fight with superior firepower and mobility.
After all, this is something they’ve been doing throughout the war.
As they were attempting to subdue the Japanese coastal outposts and join in, they also brought back some good information.
He said that the enemy’s main supply depot and facilities existed in Munchon, and Lieutenant Colonel Kim Si-jin did not hesitate and immediately led the battalion troops to destroy them.
“By the way, I’m surprised that there are enemy supply depots lined up here. You said it was the direct command of Sunmuyeong? Thanks for blocking it so appropriately earlier.”
“I just did what I had to do. Sorry for the late introduction. My name is Hong Beom-do. By the way, I think the enemies have noticed by now. I killed them all.”
“Well… that’s right. Since we completely annihilated the Chijung Byeong-i. They’ll probably find it strange that we lost contact.”
Since the communications and messengers of the troops sent to Mooncheon were also being cut off, the enemy would now begin to feel uneasy, and this would soon turn into certainty that the enemy had arrived.
After destroying the supply depot, they decided to set up a defensive line on a 300m high hill on the left wing of Muncheon-gun, which turned out to be a pretty good location.
This was because it was in an exquisite position that allowed the Japanese army to control not only all the 150-200m high hills that could be used during defensive operations, but also the entire Munchon-Wonsan road.
“The enemies will soon swarm here. We will join you, but… do you really think our troops will arrive in time?”
Lieutenant Kim Si-jin offered a cigarette to the direct commanding officer Hong Beom-do and spoke calmly but with confidence.
“He will definitely come.”
But Hong Beom-do shook his head, saying he doesn’t smoke.
Lieutenant Kim Si-jin brought it to his lips as if he was sorry and said.
“No matter what happens, we’ll hold them off until they get there. Can the direct force defend the open area west of the hill? They might turn back that way.”
“···All right.”
“Judging by your expression, you don’t look too happy. It looks like you’re wondering how a single, reduced infantry company can handle such a wide front.”
“That’s not wrong.”
“Don’t worry. It’s all farmland over there. Do you know what that means?”
Captain Kim Si-jin smiled wickedly.
Hong Beom-do, the prime minister, flinched and said honestly that he didn’t know what that meant.
Then he shrugged and said,
“You can make a mudflat there. It’s practically abandoned farmland because farming isn’t done there, but there’s still a considerable amount of water flowing through the waterways around there. If you blow this up in time, you can turn the entire route into a mudflat.”
“······.”
That’s why I thought he was a battalion commander.
The most central and most powerful figures in the Korean Empire’s military were the battalion commanders and lieutenants, so it seemed they weren’t just taking them for granted.
Hong Beom-do, impressed by his preparedness, nodded and looked toward the waterway.
As expected, they were seen taking the remaining explosives and setting them up on one side of the waterway to detonate them in case of emergency.
“I’ll leave the order to detonate to you. After all, you’re better at making timely and proper decisions than I am.”
“···All right.”
There was a lot of talk going on between the pungent cigarette smoke.
A scout warned that a battalion of enemy troops was slowly approaching, and Lieutenant Kim Si-jin, feeling sorry for the cigarette he had not yet finished smoking, threw it on the ground, stubbed it out with his combat boot, and then pulled out the pistol in his hand.
“This is the first step towards the end. Battalion, all combat positions. And take up your weapons.”
He gave the order and muttered it in a very soft voice.
Perhaps it also contains his own wishes.
“They will never pass through here.”