Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 354



Only Noblemtl

#2-11. Zhang’s Rising (4)

One was that the Japanese military had greater tactical flexibility by operating the equipment at platoon level compared to the Korean military, which operated grenade launchers at company level. The other was that the Japanese military was able to pour in two to three times the amount of grenade launchers on the Korean military in terms of numbers.

‘But what about machine guns? What is truly feared by the Korean military? Isn’t it the organic combination of grenade launchers and machine guns?’

This question was naturally raised. The testimony of those who had faced the Korean army in battle, especially the elite assault infantry, was unanimous. Accordingly, the General Staff made the following reservation.

It would be difficult at the moment, but we would try to import suitable machine guns from overseas and develop them ourselves, and in the medium to long term, we would try to put them into service so that we could form infantry platoons, or even squads if possible.

Although there was a Type 38 machine gun, a domestically produced version of the M1897 Hotchkiss machine gun, it was not enough to meet all demands, and it could not display the same mobility as the Korean military’s Madsen light machine gun.

Through this, the Chief of Staff ultimately aimed for one point: ‘Korean-style assault infantry transformation of all infantry units’, and through this, they wanted to improve overall tactics and prevent them from being defeated so helplessly in future wars as they were in the past.

Of course, it would not have been possible to achieve a decisive victory simply by following the enemy and using equal firepower and tactics, and the Chiefs of Staff, whose last remaining pride would not allow it, wanted to use their strengths in other areas to overwhelm the Korean army in the future battle and eventually create an opportunity to annex the peninsula and advance to the continent.

And it was again proposed in two ways. One was the numerical superiority through mobilization power based on a larger population than that of the Korean Empire, the only thing the Japanese army had maintained an overwhelming superiority over for a long time throughout the previous war.

If the above reorganization was carried out and the mobilization power of the Japanese army based on a large population was combined, even if the three-dimensional power such as artillery firepower was lacking, it would be possible to sufficiently compensate for this with two-dimensional power. Accordingly, the General Staff Headquarters began to gather as many manpower resources as possible by relaxing the previously strict conscription standards.

Another was in the diplomatic sphere. Among the reasons for the Korean victory, the high-ranking commanders saw the presence of Russia as crucial. The very presence of the vast Russian Imperial Army and Navy in the Far East was the basis for Korean resistance, and it was this that the Japanese Empire had to overcome.

Britain saw itself as nothing more than a pawn in weakening Russia’s power, and did not take an active role. So this time, Japan had to tie together a target that was as active and numerous as they were, but who could “listen well”, in a chain called “alliance.”

This was a study on the results of the Far East War published by the General Staff in 1909, and it soon had a profound impact on the development of the Japanese Army’s strategy and tactical doctrine against Korea.

And now, the warlord army of Jang Jag-rim, with Japanese military advisers, was a relatively loyal collaborator who received various financial and weapon support according to Japan’s needs.

The hatred for Korea, the watchdog of Russia, and the willingness to do anything to fulfill their own ambitions in China, where warlords have been rampant since the collapse of the Qing Dynasty, made them quite tasty prey for Japan. It was easier to cook those who were large but divided than those who were small but united.

“We must seize the bridges leading to Uiju immediately. We do not have time to waste on pillaging in Dandong.”

“Oh, I told you they’ll never come.”

The torturer, who was looking at the commander of the warlords who was laughing, tried to vent his frustration, but it was no use. The soldiers who were burning houses, harming people at will, and stealing property were already acting as if they were intoxicated with victory.

Since the army was commanded by bandits and such, there was no way to properly establish military discipline. The only thing that was possible was to quickly bypass Russian outposts and villages with strong resistance and move for several days.

“And you’re saying that you’re going to move with those guys that you couldn’t even take care of properly while advancing? It’ll be fortunate if they don’t rebel.”

“But even so-”

“I don’t know if the advisor knows, but we’ve been fighting the Joseon guys ever since the last Far East War. And their tactics against us are very consistent.”

The commander, who had boasted about how many people he had killed while banditry in his youth, spoke the word ‘tactics’ after such a long time, and the torturer couldn’t help but be surprised.

“They don’t cross the river until they judge that their firepower and manpower are superior. The villages we breached or bypassed were built that way in the first place. Now that we didn’t expect them and went in, what can they do?”

The torturer, who had dealt with many opponents in his own way, was annoyed by the sight of them being killed, but he endured it. The reason he was here, and the reason he was providing weapons, funds, and a torture team to those bandits, was because of the 1909 report from the General Staff.

These were important figures who could be used as cards in the future war against the Korean Empire and who could exert pressure from both the east and the west. In addition, the General Staff had another ulterior motive.

It was also a place for testing and evaluating whether Japan’s method was right. It was also a strong test of whether quantitative superiority could counter qualitative superiority, especially superior firepower. After all, they were guys who could be thrown around without any burden without shedding their own blood.

“But we need to be prepared for any situation that may arise. The Korean military is strategically like a fox that is good at deception, and tactically like a tiger that is good at surprise attacks. They may be able to use this situation to their advantage.”

“You’re so scared, didn’t you have a hard time in the last war? Well, if you’re going to come, then come. This time, we’ve come well prepared.”

As the commander of the warlords clenched his fists and spoke, the Japanese adviser sighed and continued to record the current situation. These were important records that had to be typed up and reported to the General Staff later.

“Well… I guess it would be okay if you explained it a little.”

The warlord commander spoke as he looked at the Dandong city streets where black smoke was rising. His teeth, yellow from not being cleaned properly, stood out.

“It will take at least 3 to 5 days for the enemy to redeploy their elite troops in the center to the north, so we just need to drag them out into the field and beat them up before the main force arrives.”

“… They have a railroad. There is a railroad line from Gyeongseong to Uiju, so it is faster than before… … .”

“How fast can we re-deploy on that slow train? At most, we’ll be able to throw one battalion-sized unit into a single transport.”

This commander, who had fought frequently against the Joseon bastards, was judging the enemy based on his experience from several years ago. If this had been two years ago, it would have been a perfect fit.

But the advisor thought differently. The past and the present were very different, and with the completion of the Gyeongui Line, in which a large amount of French capital had been invested, he believed that military capabilities would certainly be different from before. In addition, the units were being expanded from brigades to divisions.

“You should never underestimate them. It won’t be too late to advance after we’ve established our defense line.”

“Okay, okay. Too many worries are poisonous in war.”

The warlord commander waved his hand and said in an annoyed tone.

‘They’re just like those stupid bandits.’

The advisor sighed as he thought that most of the so-called military commanders of Bongcheon were lacking in skills, boasting about fighting the same bandits or fighting ‘battles’ against civilians, with little or no formal military training.

I thought it was okay since the junior officers were either trained by the Japanese military or had just graduated from military academies, but that wasn’t enough. I was filled with thoughts that it would be fortunate if they could just barely avoid a major defeat like the last border conflict and return home.

***

“Our fleet will also be joining the operation?”

“Yes. The Minister of the Navy has consulted with the Minister of the Military and the Minister of the Army and has decided to move the fleet in Jemulpo north toward Lushun.”

This was a story I heard from Vice Minister of the Navy Lee Dong-hwi, one of the ministers of the Navy who came to see me on the way out after comforting the director of the railway bureau who had been looking very sad. In order to deploy the assault infantry brigade within 24 hours, the railway bureau had called up 4 locomotives and 48 passenger cars to transport 3,000 troops, and among them, passenger trains that were preparing to depart from Yongsan Station were also requisitioned, so it seemed that they were going through difficulties one way or another.

Moreover, since trains are planned to be returned to the depot after the day’s operation ends and to be operated the next day, this was even more so. Of course, now that a sudden emergency has occurred at the border, this has to be accepted.

The director of the railway bureau asked the Marshal’s office to agree to the plan to double-track the railway in the event of such an emergency, but that was a story for the distant future. After all, it was like this even when transporting only infantry without any heavy equipment.

If we hadn’t set up material depots in the north to prepare for this kind of sudden change, well… things might have been a little difficult.

In the end, it was a railroad system that had to be repaired someday. In fact, there are research papers that say that the railroad network duplication itself, which was done during the steam locomotive era, doubled operational efficiency, or maybe even increased it. In any case, the story of the fleet dispatch that I heard on my way out after appeasing him was quite interesting. This time, it meant that the entire army and navy would respond together.

“Fleet… … .”

“It is also the intention of the Cabinet and the Central Committee to exert significant political pressure on them and those behind them, Director.”

“Of course.”

Unlike the ground forces, the operation of the fleet had a very strong political message. In particular, we can talk about how much pressure our naval fleet, which has even one Borodino-class battleship worth 14,573,000 rubles, which does not exist in the Republic of China at the moment, could exert.

“So that’s why you’re even mobilizing that precious battleship, right?”

“Yes. The significance of a battleship is great in many ways.”

Where on earth did the single Russian-made Borodino-class battleship come from? Well, it was a combination of a number of incredible circumstances that made it possible for it to be introduced to our Navy without warning.