Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 321
Only Noblemtl
#321. Legend of Lightning War (1)
“That was close.”
“Sergeant Noh, we must advance now.”
“I know, Brigadier General. By the way, those reckless guys, that’s why they’re called assault infantry.”
“···So you will hear that we are the most ardent defenders of Korea.”
The Navy’s coastal artillery battalion, which had quickly disarmed its batteries, began to scatter 75mm shrapnel shells along the enemy’s starting line.
They were able to arrive by a hair’s breadth, so much so that the word “close” is an understatement.
As rapid fire at a very fast tempo fell on a wide area of enemy territory, Lieutenant Noh Baek-rin sent a signal and ordered the entire battalion to advance.
I planned to quickly break through the road to Muncheon-gun in order to attack the flank of the enemies who were gradually advancing on the nameless hill ahead.
Since the enemies would have judged that the road to Muncheon-gun was blocked by the high ground anyway, they decided to take advantage of this and reuse it as a direction for a rapid offensive.
The enemy infantry that had been gradually being deployed fell into confusion due to the sudden artillery attack, and taking advantage of the gap, the assault infantry battalion advanced simultaneously and charged to recover to the original forward line.
“Let’s completely destroy the enemy’s skirmish line! No matter how powerful their skirmish line is, it can’t withstand a blow from the flank! Surround them from the opposite side and destroy them!”
It would be unimaginable for regular infantry battalions, but it was a different story for a battalion commanded by Noh Baek-rin.
Like that bizarre unit in Italy with its rooster feathers pinned to its hats, he too demanded that his units be as mobile as cavalry.
“If the 1st Platoon directly attacks the enemy’s flank, the 2nd and 3rd Platoons will turn sharply to the right and pour firepower on their rear! The assigned brigade direct Maximo units must block the enemy’s movements together with the 1st Platoon. Do you understand what I mean?!”
In any case, the strength of the Japanese army’s skirmishers came from their firepower concentrated at the front and their relative flexibility compared to European operations, rather than their firepower from the flanks or their agility like the Korean army’s methods.
Therefore, even though they were outnumbered, they were able to easily attack the enemy’s flanks with their ample firepower and mobility.
That was the alpha and omega of the Korean military’s small unit combat style, and Noh Baek-rin believed that he could do it again this time.
When the sound of artillery fire was heard in the distance, the soldiers cheered. The assault infantry remaining on the defensive line also cheered.
“···And usually, faith brings about miracles.”
The faith of the 2nd Assault Infantry Battalion was such that they were able to pin down an enemy outnumbered by more than 40 times with only 600 men.
Now it was time to give them a miracle.
While shrapnel rained down on the enemy, the 3rd Battalion of the 6th Brigade, from its weak but still lethal position, began to literally flank the Japanese infantry column and crush it.
Judging by the commotion occurring behind the front lines, it seemed that the units under the Tongyeong Army had also begun to attack the Japanese forces in earnest.
The Japanese army, under attack from three sides, began to slowly collapse despite its still enormous size.
They began to flee, painfully pursued by defeat, their fear of death mixed with a primal obsession with life.
Over the countless corpses, debris, and bullet casings, a serenade for the finale began to resound in the most brutal way.
It was a turning point, a moment when the initiative of the war was transferred.
Unable to hold out any longer, the Japanese army was crushed all over the front line, and the survivors retreated to the division headquarters, continuing their resistance until the very end.
However, those who were the core of the Korean garrison forces, the pride of the 1st Army, and the only Japanese Guards Division were no longer able to have their names on the battle list.
In this way, the main force of the Japanese Army under the Manchurian Army General Headquarters and most of the combat units of the Korean Army Command were anniversaries, coincidentally leaving behind a large number of people who would be celebrating their anniversaries on the same day.
***
“Sergeant, we have completely recaptured the Wonsan area. The 3rd Battalion of the 6th Brigade has successfully landed, and the unit commanded by Lieutenant Colonel No Baek-rin has joined the 2nd Assault Infantry Battalion, which was defending the road! At the same time, a short telegram titled ‘The Glory of the North Star’ was transmitted exactly three times from Wonsan to Hamheung!”
“The Tong-eo-yeong has also attacked the enemy’s rear. Although the resistance is still fierce, the entire main force is trapped in the direction of Muncheon, unable to move, so now we can see the end!”
After an anxious dawn, a telegram arrived at dawn informing us that the operation had been successful.
After finishing preparations for deployment and staying up all night, I immediately put the troops on standby. Starting with the fall of Wonsan, I had to start recapturing the northern part of the Korean Empire and Hanseong.
The effect of surprise and its shock had to engulf the Japanese military leadership, and before the enemy formations could come to their senses, they had to move at lightning speed and penetrate deep.
That way, they could gain an absolute upper hand in the armistice negotiations, regardless of the outcome of the Bongcheon War, which was clearly still unfolding.
The difference between those who entered into negotiations without being able to recapture the capital and those who entered into negotiations through a counterattack on their own was as wide as the difference between heaven and earth.
It was the best way to shock the Japanese military and government, who could not admit that they had been defeated by the likes of Joseon and who continued to burn with the will to wage war, as well as the civilian society, which was their reserve force and the foundation of waging war, and to completely bring them to the ‘end point of the strategic offensive.’
“Sergeant, are you really going to proceed with the operation?”
“Yes. Our small but brave navy has established a foothold in Wonsan, shouting, ‘Now the only thing our Korean navy can do is find a way to die as coolly as possible.’ Can you afford to lose to that, gentlemen? So today we are making a great decision. If the navy has found a way to die as coolly as possible, our army will gladly retake Hansung.”
There is a battle of pride between the Navy and the Army within the Marshal’s Office, so I said this to take advantage of that.
Well, in fact, the Navy’s performance in this war was not something that could be ignored.
At that, most of the people in Sunmuyeong nodded as if they agreed with what I said.
Looking at it, I continued speaking.
“First, have General Kim In-su, together with Major General Anisimov’s Russian-Arab army, break through Hamnam and Gangwon, advance to Jukbyeon, where the enemy’s main naval facilities are located, and push back the entire east coast axis.”
The provisional cavalry brigade commanded by Lieutenant General Kim In-su and the Russian army under Anisimov, totaling about 30,000 men, were to move down the east coast axis and ultimately begin a mobile war that would threaten Ulsan and Busan.
Major General Anisimov, who had already confirmed the operation in advance, immediately responded that the Yaponskys could be completely destroyed within the peninsula.
“Yes, sir!”
“And instruct the Commander-in-Chief to reclaim Pyongyang as soon as the operation in Wonsan is over. Regardless of the outcome of the battle in Bongcheon, the Japanese will try to turn some of their units over to our side. Tell him to reclaim Pyongyang no matter what happens and block the enemy’s southward advance in advance.”
As soon as the operation in Wonsan was concluded, the plan was to receive additional reinforcements from the Hamheung area and mobilize 60,000 ground troops to recapture Pyongyang.
The Japanese troops that should have already been on that axis were all sucked out, saying they were supporting the Bongcheon area, so except for Uiju in North Pyongan Province, there were no Japanese troops above battalion level left.
Only a motley and lowly group of traitors were holding out.
“I will do so.”
“Finally, I will give orders to Chief Cho Dong-yoon. Tell those who are cooperating with us in Hanseongbu to prepare to respond. We will appear in the northeast of Hanseongbu within five days.”
And now I had to carry out the core operation of the three-ro-byongjin, which was probably the most complex operation of this war, the recapture of Hanseong.
Without reinforcements from infantry or artillery units, he planned to quickly break through to Hanseong by leading 7,000 troops from the ‘Provisional Cavalry Division’, which was temporarily formed by combining only cavalry regiments and miscellaneous reserve cavalry regiments.
It was the most dangerous course, but it was worth it.
Because it is our capital and also where the enemy’s main control facilities and military headquarters are located.
It was also reported that enemy troops at the regimental level or higher were stationed here, and that scattered 1st Army and 15th Division troops were scattered throughout the southern Gyeonggi region.
“From now on, it is a race against time. Whether our spearheads will penetrate the enemy’s lungs or the enemy’s come to their senses and stop us will determine the outcome of the coming war.”
Then, as I came out of the Sunmuyeong barracks, I saw Army Lieutenant General Kim Seok-jung, who had appointed him as the commander of the Independent Cavalry Division, Harcourt, the American adviser who had most faithfully trained them to be cavalrymen, and the cavalrymen who were looking at me with their faces red with tension or with a heightened fighting spirit.
Along with him, the cabinet ministers, the vast staff of the Marshal’s Office, the Russian liaison corps, and even the Emperor himself seemed to be awaiting our dispatch.
It may be surprising, but the emperor was one of the people who most strongly advocated for the invasion of Hanseong from the beginning.
Perhaps that is why he came out to capture this moment with his own eyes.
Now I felt that the end of the great war that had seemed so distant was approaching.
The wind changed, the waves changed direction, and the sword hilt turned towards us.
“···Everyone is waiting for the chief of police’s encouragement.”
“Yeah. I guess so···.”
I nodded at the adjutant’s words and looked at the people lined up in front of me.
“Arise, brave children of the land! We have now reached a great turning point! From this hour, we will break through the front lines with lightning speed and reclaim what was rightfully ours!”
I don’t know since when I was able to speak so loudly, or maybe it was because I was so nervous, but the only sounds that could be heard in the area where the soldiers were lined up were my voice and the sound of the wind blowing fiercely.
“We stood up, tearing apart the net of fear, hunger, and cold, breaking the chains the Japanese had tried to force upon us. It was a truly difficult resistance, and in the meantime we had to lose many of our comrades, parents, and siblings. But now the wind is changing.”
And then, like a ghost, the direction of the fluttering flags changed.
This was not my intention, but it seemed to have a very different meaning to those lined up in front of me.