Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 263
Episode 263: Battle of the Songhua River. (2)
While a fierce chase and search followed the traces of Lee Man-ju and Muntemu, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lee Maeng-gyun boarded a ship heading to Shandong.
“Full speed! “We must get to Beijing as quickly as possible, no matter what!”
“yes! You bastards! Hurry!”
Captain Han Song-ro responded loudly to Lee Maeng-gyun’s shout and scolded the crew.
The ship that Lee Maeng-gyun was currently on was the largest and fastest ship among those operated by private merchants.
* * *
Among the ships operated by the Navy, the fastest ship, excluding Challenger class and Sea Emergency class, was the only ship. However, this ferry had a capacity of around 10 people.
Therefore, the delegation led by Lee Maeng-gyun rented a ship from a private merchant and headed to the Ming Dynasty.
Ships built with capital from the private sector were weaker than Panokseons, but faster than Panokseons.
This was similar to the history before the intervention of the county, and the evaluation of ships produced after the late Joseon Dynasty entrusted water transportation to the private sector and handed over construction rights was similar to this.
In response to these reports, the Navy even came up with a plan to build a new front based on these ships.
Many people were interested, but the reason it became a blank slate was because the ship built by the top company was designed for the main purpose of cargo transportation, so if it was to be converted to combat use, it would have to be completely rebuilt from scratch, and an analysis showed that it would not be economical.
And soon enough, a monster that could not even compete with the civilian merchant ships called ‘Challenger class’ appeared.
* * *
“We must arrive in Shandong and go to Beijing as soon as possible! “Whose boat is the fastest?”
At the words of the government official, the captains and ship owners gathered at the dock all pointed to one person.
“Hanga is the fastest!”
“Who is it?”
Han Song-ro, who was singled out in this way, had to burn the government officials while crying and eating mustard.
“I will pay whatever the cost is! “We must get to Shandong’s Joseon Shangguang as quickly as possible!”
“That requires additional skilled sailors and navigators.”
“Don’t worry about the cost, get it right now!”
At the words of the official, Han Song-ro persuaded other captains and ship owners to borrow sailors and navigators who were familiar with sailing. Of course, the cost was paid by the government on the spot.
“Is the bill of exchange good? Or is cash better?”
In response to the manager’s question, all of those who had taken on the task answered in unison.
“Of course we wear cash!”
* * *
“If I move as fast as possible, how long will it take to get to Shandong?”
In response to Lee Maeng-gyun’s question, Han Song-ro looked up at the sky and answered immediately.
“If there is a favorable wind, it will take seven days, but now it is the time when the wind is blowing against us…. Even if we go as fast as possible, it will take eleven days.”
“Eleven days… It’s so close. “Please do your best.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The captain responded to Lee Maeng-gyun’s words with a serious face.
Han Song-ro, who had retreated to take care of his crew, visited the sailing area.
“Hey old man Chu. “Don’t you think something has gone wrong in the royal court?”
“Didn’t you hear the rumor? “I guess there is chaos in the north.”
In response to the captain’s reply, Han Song-ro swore slightly.
“shit! If I’m really late, I’ll get my head blown off. “I’ll have to give up sleeping comfortably until I get to Shandong!”
* * *
As Lee Maeng-gyun could not hide his impatience, a subordinate official asked from the side.
“Wouldn’t it have been better to use Challenger or Hae-eung instead?”
Hearing his subordinate’s words, Lee Maeng-gyun glared at his subordinate with a fierce look on his face and growled.
“Don’t you think about the time it takes to bring the ships in the East Sea to Jemulpo? And what would Ming think if a country that lives and dies because of the Jurchen people shows up on a ship loaded with artillery?”
“Ah… I was short of thought. “I apologize.”
“If you apologize, don’t do anything to apologize!”
Lee Maeng-gyun’s thirst made his subordinates think and had to step back.
* * *
While Lee Maeng-gyun was heading to Shandong while exhorting his subordinate officials, the General Staff Headquarters, the Ministry of Defense, and the government were busy moving about.
“The entire Huligai tribe, led by Manju Lee, is on the move! The direction is northeast!”
“Muntamu’s tribe is on the move too! The direction is north!”
The reports of Jurchen scouts sent out to find the locations of the two tribes were delivered to the General Staff Headquarters in Hanseong as quickly as possible.
However, as the distance grew longer and it took longer for information to arrive, Sejong made a decision.
“Move the General Staff Headquarters to Hamheung!”
“I follow your orders!”
King Sejong’s order was something that the General Staff Headquarters could welcome.
* * *
According to the rule, the command of the army was to be handled by the commander of the front line.
Even if several units were united as is now the case, it was natural to designate a commander-in-chief and delegate authority to him.
This was the same in Joseon.
When this first happened, the General Staff Headquarters recommended Lee Suk-myo (李叔畝) as commander-in-chief, and King Sejong approved it.
Since he had steadily built up his military career after passing the civil service examination, it was a decision without any problems.
The problem came as more detailed information came in about Lee Man-ju and Muntemu’s movements.
‘Most of the tribes led by Lee Manju and Muntemu have escaped their residence!’
The government was turned upside down by the information that came in urgently.
The reason why the court was upset was because of the size of the Huligai tribe led by Lee Man-ju.
The size of the tribe ruled by Lee Man-ju was about 10,000.
In the case of Joseon, the average number of family members constituting a household was 4 to 5, based on average life expectancy and other various conditions.
However, in the case of aftershocks, there were at least 7 to 8 people.
Based on this, the composition of Lee Man-ju’s tribe was at least 70,000 to 80,000.
Of course, Lee Man-ju did not directly rule over all of these people, and there were numerous tribes and tribal chiefs under him.
According to research conducted so far, the average size of one Jurchen tribe was about 1,000 people in about 150 households.
The problem was that among those 1,000 people, about half were soldiers.
In that sense, the number of troops that Lee Man-ju could mobilize could be more than 30,000.
* * *
“The future fate of Joseon depends on this battle! “We will have to pour in all of our Joseon capabilities!”
After receiving the report, King Sejong decided to launch an all-out war.
And there were no ministers who opposed this decision. This was because he was well aware of the seriousness of the situation and trusted the Joseon military, which he had trained as an elite force.
Because he had decided on an all-out war, King Sejong moved the General Staff Headquarters to Hamheung.
And less than half a day later, Sejong added another decision.
“I’m going to Hamheung too!”
“No, it works!”
As soon as King Sejong spoke, all the ministers came forward to oppose.
“Absolutely not! “If His Majesty goes to a rough place and experiences something unexpected, Jongmyo and Sajik will be in danger!”
There was only one reason why the ministers opposed it.
‘If the wage rises and someone dies or gets injured, the country will turn upside down!’
Although the ministers vehemently opposed it, King Sejong did not back down.
“Why are Lee Man-ju and Muntemu acting so recklessly? It’s because you looked down on me! Those who only looked after King Taejo when he was alive are now looking down on me and the royal family! If we just turn our backs and look at this, there will continue to be wanton people like this! I must personally take action and let those Jurchen people know whose blood I and the royal family inherited! “I will not tolerate opposition!”
The ministers had to keep their mouths shut due to King Sejong’s resolute appearance.
‘That family’s temperament…’
Sejong silenced the ministers and looked back.
“The crown prince must remain in Hanseong and conduct national affairs on his behalf!”
“Soja will go with you too!”
Hyang requested to go with him, but King Sejong dismissed Hyang’s request.
“The Crown Prince has work to do here in Hanseong. It is your job to ensure that supply is uninterrupted while the great cause is accomplished in the north. If you’re usually talented, you’ll do well. yes?”
“… I will do my best.”
Hyang-hyang grumbled inwardly as she answered, forcing herself to lower her head.
‘I said I would go with you because I thought this would be the case… but since this is the norm, I can’t help it.’
Hyang quickly gave up and grumbled about another problem.
‘By the way, even though a lot has changed since I intervened, isn’t this too much? You should also think about future test takers, Abama!’
King Sejong’s next move was literally lightning.
“We will leave the day after tomorrow when the sun rises! “Make sure everything is ready by then!”
According to King Sejong’s orders, all personnel at the General Staff Headquarters had to scramble all night to pack their bags.
On the morning of his departure to his parents’ house, King Sejong came out wearing plate armor made by Hyang and ordered the ministers who came to see him off.
“Help the crown prince and make sure there is no deviation from the administration of state affairs.”
“I follow your orders!”
“The crown prince will not disappoint his father, right?”
“That will never happen!”
“Don’t believe it!”
King Sejong lightly tapped Hyang’s shoulder and got on his horse.
When King Sejong left Gwanghwamun, the people of Hanseong who had heard the rumor bowed loudly and shouted at the same time.
“May your great work be accomplished!”
“Bless you!”
After seeing King Sejong off to Heunginjimun (Dongdaemun), Hyang turned around and looked at the ministers.
“ruler! Shouldn’t you go and work? If we are lazy, the soldiers on the front lines will have to starve or fight with their bare hands. “I believe Abamama will know what to do if something like that happens.”
“yes!”
In response to Hyang’s threats, the ministers hurried back to Gyeongbokgung Palace.
* * *
King Sejong and the General Staff Headquarters left Hanseong and headed north as fast as possible.
“It’s definitely good to have the road paved!”
“That’s right!”
Thanks to the well-paved roads to Wonsan, the travel speed is much faster than before.
Even while moving, information continued to flow in from the front line, and the information gathered was processed through meetings held during mealtimes or before going to bed.
“Looking at Lee Man-ju and Muntemu’s direction, what do you think their destination is?”
In response to King Sejong’s question while filling his stomach with dry food and beef jerky, Choi Yun-deok opened the map, looked at it, and pointed out a place.
“It would be north of Woodiger. “It’s probably the Samsung area near the Mudan River.”
“Samsung…”
Sejong, who was looking at the map, looked at Choi Yun-deok.
“Are you planning to establish a country?”
“The Samseong region is far from the Ming or Joseon Dynasty, and given the scale of Lee Man-ju’s power and the amount of plundered wealth, you would think it would be possible.”
“Hmm…”
King Sejong, who was silent for a moment in response to Choi Yun-deok’s answer, soon gave an order.
“Please convey my command to all the tribes of the Yain Jurchen as well as the precious Jurchen region. ‘The descendants of King Taejo plan to punish the traitor, so mobilize your troops and join them.’ “I said.”
Choi Yun-deok expressed his disapproval at King Sejong’s order.
“It is not difficult to convey it, but will we really follow His Majesty’s command?”
King Sejong answered Choi Yun-deok’s question with a cold smile.
“Wouldn’t it be a good idea to differentiate between factions and factions at this point?”
“Oh, I see.”
Choi Yun-deok, who understood Sejong’s intentions, broke into a cold sweat.
‘How many moves ahead are you looking at, Your Majesty?’
Meanwhile, King Sejong, who checked the report summarizing the situation, continued to check the next agenda.
“How are the units drawn from the Gyeonggi-do and Chungcheong-do counties doing?”
“Yes, we have finished organizing now and are moving to Wonsan.”
“Has the navy prepared the front lines?”
“yes. Challenger-class fronts and sea emergency fronts are on standby in Wonsan to transport spearmen and artillerymen who need to be moved first due to movement speed issues. According to the Chief of Staff’s calculations, it is expected that the priority needs can be transported in about five round trips.”
“Are they ready for the carts that will take them to the front lines?”
“It is progressing step by step. “When the troops to be transported from Wonsan arrive at Onseong, the carts will be ready.”
“I think Lee Man-ju and Munteumu will get a real kick out of it.”
Choi Yun-deok nodded at Sejong’s words. Sejong, who was looking at Choi Yun-deok’s face, turned his head and looked toward the south.
“I thought it was stubbornness because the Crown Prince was so hung up on the cart, but this time, he’s benefiting from it.”