Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 358



Only Noblemtl

#2-15. As a Devil Dressed in Karki (1)

If you have ever seen a bicycle in the past, these images will be engraved in your mind. You might think of peacefully delivering letters in the countryside with the clinking bell, or police officers slowly patrolling around sunset. Or you might think of a rather innocent memory of riding to school with a girl you like.

But the sight of those on bicycles and saddles, ready to cross the bridge over the Amnok River one by one, was different. It was a sight that was far from peaceful or ordinary.

Rather, they looked solemn and full of tragedy, and most of them were trying to control their nervousness by smoking cigarettes or biting into candy right before the tactical maneuver, which they would not be able to smoke in the future. The officers, no less than the soldiers, looked at the place where their brigade commander was standing, wondering whether the bicycles that were being used for the first time in actual combat would be operated without any problems like during training.

The only brigade commander with a smile on his face looked at his pocket watch, then nodded and said.

“1st to 4th Battalions, move to the designated locations.”

With his short command, the soldiers who had been issued bicycles at the station formed ranks and began to move simultaneously under the guidance of their guides.

The bicycles they were equipped with had rifles mounted on the front, and ammunition needed for battle on the back. They were carrying simpler gear than usual on their backs, and most of them were pedaling silently as fast as they could. Whether it was flat ground or rough terrain, they maintained their maximum speed without caring.

If they came across a place where they could not ride their bicycles, they would immediately dismount and quickly pass by, carrying their rifles and gear and pulling their bicycles like carts. Thanks to this, they could move at a speed three to four times faster than the average infantry advance speed.

Even the most well-trained infantry could only advance at a maximum speed of 6 km per hour, which was a truly revolutionary speed. In addition, in the current situation where rapid and stealthy movement was necessary, it was much quieter than a war horse. Unlike a war horse that had to be bridled and occasionally fed water and hay, a bicycle was truly a machine.

In other words, there was no need to feed or rest anything, and it was an object that only required the rider on the saddle to be considered. Of course, these bicycles were more expensive than you might think. Unlike the mass-produced products that sold like hotcakes on the market, these were objects that had to be specially ordered and purchased because they had to be operated by fully armed soldiers carrying equipment, ammunition, and heavy military gear.

If you simply bring in a commercially available product and convert it to military use, it is clear that various problems will arise. In general, not only will the bicycle not be able to perform the tactical maneuvers required by the unit, but it may also break down after a short ride, or the soldier may become too tired to ride it because it is heavier than the military version.

The assault infantry brigade, which had been moving with such tension, was able to arrive at the outskirts of Dandong much earlier than scheduled. They chose quiet roads to avoid revealing their intention to attack through unnecessary contact with the enemy, but even considering that, it was too quiet. No, it was questionable that they had not taken control of the area around the railroad bridge in the first place.

However, it seems that there were still enemies, as the scouts who had gone out to reconnoiter Dandong reported that a battalion-sized enemy force remained and most of the troops had advanced to the plains between Dandong and Dungan.

“Huh, they said it would take 5 hours… … .”

“You came much sooner than I expected. What should we do about the operation?”

“… The sun is high in the sky. If we continue like this, our non-kinetic forces will become impossible.”

“Shit.”

Kim Si-jin gritted his teeth at the words of the brigade operations officer who was standing next to him. The real problem was not the enemy forces remaining in the city center. The fact that they had arrived much faster than expected. There were two main reasons why they had to use a place with poor terrain, that is, a 3km deep and 4km wide plain with cultivated land, as the starting point of the operation.

One was the intention to quickly advance across the plains in the twilight and immediately assault the city center, and the other was that there was no better terrain to deceive the enemy by gradually deploying all four battalions of one brigade and making maximum use of the entire force instead of gradually attriting them.

Because of this, their expected arrival time should have been around 19:00 on June 17th, but the assault infantrymen’s bicycle speed exceeded expectations and they arrived 3 hours early. The operations director had calculated everything up to twilight today and personally moved the troops, so who would have thought that such an unexpected event would happen.

It was a huge burden for the battalions deployed for actual operations to overcome the 3-4km wide flat land under bright sunlight.

It would have been nice to have some artillery support, but we couldn’t expect that. Considering that this kind of situation would happen often, we had given the assault infantry as much firepower as we could, so it would have been better not to even expect it.

“Didn’t you say there was only one battalion-level force left?”

“According to the scouts’ reports, that’s true. Fortunately, there aren’t many guards on the outskirts, and most of them are focused on the friendly forces that are deceiving the Hwangcho-pyeong area, so they don’t seem to be paying much attention to their own rear.”

“That’s right… … .”

Kim Si-jin said as he put the map he had folded up in his bosom. It was not for nothing that they said that an imperfect operation plan that was an hour early was much better than a perfect operation plan that was five minutes late. Contrary to expectations, it was the middle of the week, but it seemed like an opportunity to attack that was worth trying at least once.

“All units are heading to the starting line of attack, so proceed with the operation as is. If you try to do it half-heartedly, the enemy will notice, and that won’t do anything good. Remember, the enemy is holding out in the city.”

“Yes? But it’s still daytime. The enemy battalion defending the city center may notice us right away and try to intercept us.”

“The enemy doesn’t even know we’ve moved yet, and even if they did, it’s too late to respond now. On the contrary, if we delay, we might give the enemy time to respond, so it’s right to attack now while we have the chance. Let’s test how strong the Japanese guys are.”

Then he looked through his telescope through the bushes again at the downtown area. Not only was there still no response from the enemies, but they were also making moves as if they were trying to chase down the troops on the outskirts and send them south.

Judging from the faint sound of gunfire in the distance, it seemed that the enemy’s main force had been properly tied down at the front line. Of course, if they gathered their ships and pontoon bridges as if they were going to cross the river while pouring down large-scale artillery fire, it would be impossible not to be fooled.

“Today, as we break through the city center, the assault infantry brigade does not sound the charge slogan or advance bugle. However, the entire brigade advances, saying that it is only in their hearts. Exactly 20 minutes later, all battalions will break through the plains simultaneously while positioned at the starting line of the attack. Do you understand?”

“Of course.”

Soldiers who had camouflaged their caps and uniforms with branches and leaves were preparing for battle, each with a bayonet on their rifles or shoving grenades from boxes into their pouches as if they were nervous. Some officers were checking that the water in the water bottles was full and were checking them even more strictly than usual training, saying that they should minimize any noise that might be generated while moving.

Twenty minutes passed quickly like that. Kim Si-jin, the spirit, really wanted a cigarette, but there was no reason to do something that was tactically useless, so he held it in and gestured to the staff next to him. The hour and minute hands of the clock pointed to one place, and the soldiers began to cross the plains, walking with long strides from the planned attack line.

Normally, the platoon’s troopers would have blown trumpets, gongs, and taepyeongso to break the enemy’s spirit, but this time, everyone was silent. The only sounds were the thump of their feet on the soft ground, the sound of their shallow breathing, and the sound of the leaves being trampled as they passed through the reeds and bushes.

The sight of the assault infantry advancing toward the enemy lines looked very disorganized at first glance, but if seen from the sky, the sight of the entire infantry line moving at once would have been a spectacular sight. Although Kim Si-jin was confident in front of his subordinates, he had his Maximo units on standby in case an unexpected attack came from the enemy, and he looked forward anxiously.

Fortunately, the enemy still seemed unaware of anything. After running more than half the distance, and finally leaving only about 1km from the city center, the assault infantrymen all at once changed their pace to a brisk walk before anyone could say anything.

From the brigade commander to the lowest-ranking soldier, they were keenly aware that this moment was the most dangerous. From the last war to the recent border conflict, it was the most likely time to be in a threatening situation within the effective range of enemy infantry fire.

The specialty of the assault infantry was to collapse the enemy’s rear and flanks with firepower and shock, so they had to stick very close to the front line. And this is where most of the damage occurred. There was no way to avoid the firepower pouring down just before breaking through the enemy’s lines.

That is why veteran soldiers who had been in battle more than once or twice instinctively established the principle that they had to run quickly in order to minimize the time they were exposed to the enemy’s firepower.

“…very good.”

Kim Si-jin nodded while looking at the platoon that was breaking through at the front. Before coming here, he had given each battalion about 500 assault rifles and instructed them to arm one company for the purpose of breaking through with only those rifles. This was because they were the units that had to meet the enemy first and engage in combat, and he believed that they needed to ensure a much stronger impact than before.

“You too, advance and support our infantry. Take up positions in tall buildings that you can see and destroy any enemies you see. Do you understand what I mean?”

At his command, the squad leader who was leading the Maximo platoon raised his thumb and ordered the gunners and assistant gunners to advance toward the plains that the infantry had previously developed. A full-scale battle was about to begin. He had high hopes for the power of the assault rifle that his brother had developed.

If this really works as expected, the direction of infantry battles will change. Soon, gunfire began to ring out, and despite the other staff members’ dissuasion, he stayed relatively close to the front line and began to watch the battle with his own eyes.

***

“Squadron, forward!”

With the final order, Lieutenant Ji Cheong-cheon was the first to appear on the front lines and started to advance ahead of his subordinates. After passing the difficult Marshal’s Officer Examination with a high ranking and graduating from the 13th class of the Military Academy, he applied to the Guards Division, which was considered the most prestigious – in fact, it was because he had a small wish to commute from his home in Hansung – but was rejected by a large margin.

His classmates who had worse grades than him were also happily celebrating their admission to the Guards Division. Later, he found out that he had been evaluated as having good physical strength and intelligence, and that the then-commander of the Infantry Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Kim Si-jin, who happened to be visiting the Military Academy, was keeping an eye on cadets with potential. So, as soon as he was commissioned, he was immediately dragged in, saying that he had been spit on, and that is how it ended up like this.

Anyway, he gave up his small hopes and went up to Pyongyang to start his first military life. The life of an infantry officer was tougher than he thought, but it was fun in its own way. In addition to strong physical and mental strength, he was always required to have the ability to make organic judgments in real situations.

While others would have been scolded for worrying about this situation or would have failed to properly handle it and gotten a bad performance evaluation, Ji Cheong-cheon found it to be an opportunity. Every time, he would come up with an extraordinary alternative that was “very suitable for an assault infantryman” and would earn the respect of the commanding officers. Thanks to this, he was able to become a 1st platoon leader, a flower of the assault infantryman, six months earlier than his other military academy classmates.

And now, the opportunity to become the fastest among the 13th class of the Military Academy had come, and that was the current border conflict. The other senior officers and veteran instructors were all smiling happily, saying that it had been a long time since they had had something fun to do, and although he was like that at first, his thoughts changed greatly when he actually went to the forefront of the battle.

The scale of the battle was bigger than he had thought, and his unit was only a very small part of the battle. Of course, he couldn’t show such thoughts outwardly. In the first place, such cowards were not raised in the assault infantry, and the Korean army didn’t need them either.

Those people were called devils in khaki uniforms because they were lacking in many aspects.