Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 367



Only Noblemtl

#2-23. The Thin Red Line (1)

“You bastards, you probably didn’t even know we were here.”

Kim Si-jin said as he got off his bike, although his thighs felt trembling.

Behind him, the other assault infantrymen also carelessly stopped their bicycles, took off their gear and their assault rifles, and moved according to the instructions of their officers.

Of course, there was a young soldier who hesitated with an expression on his face like he was saying, ‘This poor bike,’ but soon after, you could see another soldier who let go of the bike handlebars and ran away with regret at the platoon leader’s warning.

“The price for all the mess you’ve made on our land will be high.”

Brave platoon leaders were mapping out the enemy’s starting line of attack from the grass, and at last flares soared into the air.

It seemed that they had correctly figured out the enemy’s movement route. And just as Kim Si-jin had predicted, the enemy had emptied all of their flanks and rear, and were concentrating all of their forces toward the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 7th Brigade.

“We disobeyed the command’s orders and advanced at full speed. Won’t we be held accountable later?”

“It doesn’t matter. I take responsibility.”

Kim Si-jin said, quickly putting an end to the concerns of his subordinate company commander. After looking over the operation outline, he felt it was a good decision to ride his bike as fast as possible to open up the enemy’s right flank.

“The main characters on the battlefield are always the infantry, not the artillery.”

No matter how much the center of the army shifted from infantry to artillery, in the end, it was the infantry like himself who could plant the flag in the enemy’s camp and declare victory.

Since the establishment of the Assault Infantry Command, they have entered into an unintentional rivalry with the Artillery Command.

It was foolish to simply win a war and maintain it for a thousand years. Depending on the environment and characteristics of the battlefield, and even the composition of firearms and troops, doctrine had to constantly change, and important choices had to be made in the process.

The question was whether to continue to develop the mobile barrage doctrine, including artillery, or to continue to develop the infiltration maneuvers of assault infantry and prepare firearms and firepower plans to match.

The command, which was planning the grand strategy for the future, demanded sophisticated and complex infantry combat that was aligned with artillery doctrine, unlike before.

It was not an incomprehensible action, but the Infantry Regiment Command was quite displeased, feeling that their role might be limited in the process.

That is why he was determined to take this opportunity to show his brother and the kids at the artillery headquarters exactly what kind of mobility the infantry had.

“This time, let’s show that assault infantry can defeat a superior enemy with just infiltration maneuvers and strong self-firepower, without artillery support.”

He sent his experienced scouts out to the front with a confident air, and soon they returned, holding a succinctly written letter of resignation, which was immediately handed over to a fairly experienced grenadier squad leader.

And he had one unusual talent: the ability to read even the most sloppy resignation letters.

Thanks to this, as soon as he saw the resignation letter with the development plan drawn on it, he skillfully figured out the artillery coordinates and distributed them.

After all, the medals and ranks he holds weren’t given to him for free.

“Distribute according to the assigned coordinates. Pour out fire before the friendly infantry companies deploy.”

And soon his soft command was heard, and shells scattered everywhere with a shallow flying sound. The flares floating in the air and the sudden bombardment of grenade launchers could make them even more afraid, already surprised by the powerful counterattack from the front.

“The entire battalion has completed its deployment.”

“Okay. Each company will move as ordered. The 1st and 2nd companies will infiltrate the enemy’s rear and suppress their firing points, heavy weapons, and command posts. The 3rd company will infiltrate the enemy’s attack line from the side and disrupt their fighting power. The 4th company will push the retreating ones beyond the 3rd company toward the reservoir. Let’s drown them all.”

“All right.”

It was a temporary company made up of companies armed only with assault rifles assigned to each battalion.

He gathered his company commanders behind Yatmahan Hill and gave them the following instructions, along with the fire support of the grenadier squad and the Madsen machine-gunners, who would soon also have to accept the order to open fire.

“If we continue like this, aren’t we going to be exposed to friendly fire?”

“Our mission is to destroy their will to fight as much as possible, even if it means being exposed to artillery fire. I’ve already sent a messenger to request that the artillery coordinates be changed, but time is running out.”

Kim Si-jin knew very well that this was a very dangerous thing to do. At this point, when the friendly forces’ moving barrage could pour down again, what would it mean to break through the enemy’s flanks and rear, where the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 7th Brigade were concentrated?

If they were not careful, the infantry could have been swept away by the friendly forces’ moving barrage. However, rather than objecting to what their brigade commander was saying, the other company commanders stood up, putting their assault rifles on the ground with expressions that seemed to suggest they were being provoked.

“Very good! Brigadier General, below. I think this is a perfect day to die.”

“If you succeed, you’ll be showered with medals, rewards, and vacations. Even if you fail, you’ll be able to have your name written on a corner of the memorial tower. Either way, it’s a worthwhile deal. So from now on, the only sound you’ll hear from their front lines should be screams. You have to show Jang Jag-rim exactly what mistake he made.”

Kim Si-jin spoke while loading the assault rifle he was carrying on his back.

“I’ll let you loose, so go wild for a bit. Let those who surrender live, but don’t spare anyone who resists. Just like we always did.”

“All right.”

Instead of saluting, the company commanders bowed and immediately began to move to their respective companies. All around, the grass began to rustle silently.

And that line seemed to be the same as what Kim Si-jin’s older brother had once said.

The Thin Red Line is the boundary between reason and madness, and is the front line of the empire that must never be broken.

Just as the British infantry had held off the Russian offensive during the Crimean War, the assault infantry should do the same. He stood up as he recalled this.

It was time to show them a thin but deadly line that they could never, and should never, cross.

***

The news that Ji Cheong-cheon would be at the forefront of the battle, just like before, was met with a mixture of worry and joy.

To be exact, it would be correct to say that we are engaging in a battle that is much more intense and larger than before. The number of casualties in the last battle was small.

There were only about 20 casualties in the entire brigade. However, moving by bicycle for hours and fighting two battles a day was bound to cause physical problems.

Nevertheless, most soldiers willingly participated in the operation, thinking that this was something that only they could do, unlike other infantrymen.

There were probably many reasons that made them go to the battlefield. The pride of being an assault infantryman, the honorable medals, the rewards for success, or the vacations. But none of that mattered. All they had to do was fight well in battle and win.

And that motivation was enough to drive them into battle, even though they never knew when friendly fire would fall on their heads.

“Advance as of now.”

The company commander’s low voice and the sound of a “push-ik” split the air. And that was the signal flare to advance, and soon it was emitting a rather bright light.

With a rustling sound, the smell of grass, and the faint, acrid scent of gunpowder wafting from somewhere, the assault infantry began to advance along their assigned routes.

On the right, the 2nd platoon and on the left, the 3rd platoon spread out widely and moved in a non-linear formation.

The soldiers, spread out in a very wide line, checked the magazines of their assault rifles, cocked the bolts or set the trigger to fire, and placed the grenades they had stuffed into the magazines so that they could be within arm’s reach at any time.

Perhaps, if we went over the slope ahead, we would see enemy troops waiting to attack for a long time. If they had been trained in the Japanese way, they would have been waiting along the attack line like us, forcing us to gradually attrite and deploy.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“···It’s grenade launcher fire. There’s no friendly barrage yet. Don’t be nervous and move forward.”

Even though they were assault infantry, they seemed to be afraid of the formidable moving barrage, and flinched when they heard the sound of explosions in an area where the enemy might be present.

Well, every time we train with artillery, we all experience the power of barrage fire directly or indirectly, so it’s strange that we don’t feel that way.

From far away, there was the sound of explosions, trees breaking, and people screaming, softly like the sound of the wind. For a moment, even Ji Cheong-cheon thought that it was the start of friendly artillery fire, and he got goosebumps and broke out in a cold sweat.

“Sergeant, I can see where the enemy’s attack line is supposed to be. As expected, there are enemies there.”

The special agent who had been sent out in front came back and spoke. Without even thinking about it, Lieutenant Ji Cheong-cheon looked at the soldiers behind him who had finished preparing to attack in a line, took out their rifles and put them in, and then instructed them to each hold a grenade with their right hand.

“Count to exactly three and throw. As soon as the grenade explodes, all platoon members, move forward at full speed and trample the enemy’s lines. Does everyone understand?”

Before he could even hear the answer, he took out a grenade, pulled out the safety catch, and waited for the fuse inside to burn out. After all, soldiers who had been through this much time would have known to some extent what to do without being told.

“Grenade.”

He didn’t know that three seconds could be this long, but he didn’t have time to savor it before he threw it from his hand down the slope. The entire platoon rolled the grenade, and the time it took for it to explode was about five seconds.

At first, a human figure was visible through the darkness, but through the acrid gunpowder and dust, little could be seen.

“Squadron, advance!”

“charge!”

Ji Cheong-cheon and his men, who appeared on the slope, began to advance forward, aiming their assault rifles at the enemy, and soon began to turn the enemy’s front line into a mess with a loud noise like soybeans being fried.

The role of the assault infantry is not to assist the friendly forces in battle and please their commanders, but to exist only to ruin the enemy’s battle, and it seemed like that was exactly the case now.

Doctrines such as ‘Artillery destroys, infantry cleans up’ only applied to regular infantry divisions or brigades.

The assault infantry, who were proud of being able to deliver a shocking force to the enemy that was much more powerful than the artillery’s moving barrage, had no intention of simply handing over their position as the main character of the battlefield to them.

That’s why they wanted to clearly show what they could do here.

puck!

I kicked the one in front with my combat boot, but it was no use. He fell down without any resistance, probably because he had been hit directly by the grenade that had exploded earlier.

I saw grenade fragments, charred uniforms, and half-shattered faces.

“You can kill all the kids who resist!”

When they dug in, the enemies stuck their heads out from between the trenches and aimed their bolt-action rifles at me, but soon a barrage of bullets flew towards them, and I had to put my head back in before I could even fire properly. The enemy forces deployed along the starting line were no different.

Even at a glance, it was clear that they had a 3:1 superiority in troops, but they were completely cowering under the grenade launchers and some of them even retreated their troops to avoid them, so no proper response could be made.

“Yaaaaaaah!”

Ji Cheong-cheon, who had descended down the slope in an instant, shouted, drew his sword, and drove the barrel deep into the chest of an enemy officer who was shouting something to his men. Perhaps he shouted to make the soldiers who had been killed by assault rifle fire and grenade explosions start fighting again, but unfortunately, that action caused his death.

“Ugh···Keuk···”

As the enemy officer fell to the ground with his pupils dilated with a gasping sound, Ji Cheong-cheon kicked his body with his boot, pulled out the bayonet, and then struck the jaw of the enemy soldier who was struggling next to him with the butt of his gun.

Kwajik!

With a crashing sound, he too fell to the ground, and other assault infantrymen rushed in behind him, aiming their assault rifles with their triggers set to fire in rapid succession at the enemy, unleashing a barrage of firepower.

Even in the midst of this seemingly disorganized attack, the experienced instructors gave instructions on tactical actions that they had learned.

Typically, they would place two or three soldiers from the squad on the trenches to control the firepower, and then lead the rest of the squad down.

The purpose was to prevent any unfortunate incidents where enemies would bypass or ambush friendly forces from around corners.

And this paired quite well with the newly issued assault rifle.

Tata tata tata tang! Tata tata tata tang!

“You motherfuckers! You die too!”

In an instant, the soldiers who had emptied their magazines tapped the shoulders of the soldiers who followed them, turned their backs, reloaded, and pulled the triggers again as if they were sweeping away the enemies with a broom, and began to overwhelm them with firepower in the trench battle.

“This son of a bitch!”

The platoon’s special agent skillfully caught the bayonet pointed at him with the folding buttstock of his assault rifle, then struck it upward and snatched the rifle itself from his opponent’s hand.

The surprised enemy took out another dagger from his waist and took a stance to charge, but he was quickly subdued thanks to the fire of the soldiers stationed on the trench line.

“If this was a pistol, it could have been a disaster.”

“Thank you, you son of a bitch.”

He raised his hand to the soldier who had saved him, and then shouted to his platoon leader not to fall behind, and began to advance through the trenches. At that moment, the flash of the muzzles of the friendly Madsen firing party, which had set up a firing position, began to appear.

Unlike the Maximo, it was only hitting enemies trying to escape from the trenches with precise fire.

It seems that the saying that only skilled shooters are in the Madsen shooting squad is not an empty promise.

“Squad, keep advancing! They’re being routed!”

After subduing several more enemies struggling in the trench with their butts and bayonets, Lieutenant Ji Cheong-cheon extended his right hand forward and gave the order for the entire platoon to advance.

Unable to bear it any longer, the enemies were being torn apart inside and outside the trenches, from platoons to companies and even battalions.

His platoon, which had overwhelmed the enemies from the start, began to advance continuously like unleashed bulls.