Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 274
Episode 274: Hamheung Temporary Palace. (2)
At the time, the Ming Dynasty learned that Lee Man-ju and Muntemu Joseon were fighting and paid close attention to the progress of the war.
The reason the Ming Dynasty paid attention to this conflict was because of Joseon.
* * *
Although Joseon was quickly conquered by the Ming, Joseon was the country that needed to be most wary.
During the reign of Yi Seong-gye, he exerted tremendous influence over Liaodong, and after Yi Bang-won came to power, he made a line with the Japanese nation despite the orders of Emperor Yeongnak.
In addition, Joseon was a country that was gradually fading, but was steadily working to maintain its influence over the Jurchen people of Liaodong.
Therefore, just as Joseon could not trust the Ming, the Ming also could not trust Joseon.
Thanks to this background, Ming was concerned when the Japanese invasions of Korea occurred in history before Hyang intervened.
-Couldn’t Joseon and Japan be working together to lure our Ming army into a trap?
In the end, the Ming, who realized that it was not a trap but a real attack, sent reinforcements belatedly.
* * *
Every day, dozens of messengers moved from Beijing to Liaodong and from Liaodong to Ming.
While Ming soldiers stationed at Wei Shao in the Liaodong region maintained a state of high alert, scouts followed the Joseon army and Jurchen tribesmen and monitored the situation.
And everything they saw and heard was written down and sent to Emperor Seondeok.
Emperor Seondeok, who received the document, held a meeting with the cabinet ministers and civil affairs officials centered on the secretary of the cabinet.
“It is said that the size of the military mobilized by Joseon in this conflict is approximately 40,000. “It seems that Joseon’s determination is considerable.”
In response to Emperor Seondeok’s words, a military officer stepped forward and bowed his head in response.
“In God’s opinion, it appears that Joseon has put forth all its efforts.”
“huh? why?”
“I questioned our merchants traveling between Shandong and Jemulpo. According to the merchants, the entire Joseon Dynasty was noisy as not only the troops guarding the vicinity of Hanseong but also the soldiers guarding the southern coast were moving up to the north.”
“Soldiers from the South went up to the North? why?”
“This is to fill the positions of the soldiers who were dispatched to chase Lee Man-ju and Muntemu.”
“Hmm…”
After listening to the military officer’s explanation, Emperor Seondeok thought while tapping his fingers on the desk.
‘It’s the most reasonable answer, but…’ After
thinking for a moment, Emperor Seondeok looked back at his cabinet assistant.
“Subo.”
“Please ask your questions, Your Majesty.”
“When I was young, I heard that Emperor Taejo was worried that Joseon might mobilize 300,000 troops to invade the Ming Dynasty. Are you saying that Joseon is having such a hard time even though it mobilizes only 40,000 troops?”
In response to Emperor Seondeok’s question, the Cabinet Secretary gathered his thoughts for a moment and answered.
“God knows, it is said that Lee Seong-gye, who founded Joseon, had great control over the Jurchen. A significant portion of that 300,000 people would have been Jurchen people.”
“is it?”
Seondeokje, who was lost in thought again at the assistant cabinet secretary’s answer, looked back at the assistant cabinet secretary.
“Then should this be viewed as self-destruction?”
“I think so. All of the tribes that caused the uprising this time were Lee Seong-gye’s loyal servants. However, after Lee Seong-gye died, they rebelled against Joseon.”
“That sounds plausible. So, is Joseon currently waging an all-out war?”
“It appears so.”
“Has Joseon become much weaker because it is an all-out war against only two tribes?”
Emperor Seondeok began to worry about whether he should evaluate Joseon differently.
Seeing Seondeokje like that, another military officer stepped forward.
“It is said that the King of Joseon has set out to conquer his own government (King Deok himself).”
Emperor Seondeok, who was in a relaxed posture after hearing the military officer’s report, straightened up and asked.
“The King of Joseon came to his father’s house?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
After hearing the answer, Emperor Seondeok immediately burst into laughter.
“Ha ha ha ha ha! Indeed! indeed! “It is indeed so!”
Over and over again, ‘It is indeed so!’ Emperor Seondeok, who burst out laughing while repeating the words, opened his mouth while looking at his subjects.
“It is a shame for a king to sit in the palace when all his efforts have been made to protect the royal business! Indeed! It is said that Lee Seong-gye, who opened the gates of Joseon, was an amazing military commander, and his blood has not gone anywhere! Ha ha ha ha ha!”
The assistant cabinet secretary sighed inwardly at the sight of Emperor Seondeok, whom he liked so much.
‘The blood hasn’t gone anywhere here either.’
In the early days of his reign, there was an invasion by the Olryanghap tribe.
At that time, Emperor Seondeok personally commanded 3,000 cavalry to defeat the invading Olryanghap tribe of 10,000 people.
Emperor Seondeok raised his voice with a very bright face.
“How was Emperor Taizong – Emperor Yongle – feeling? Every time Northern Yuan was in trouble, he personally went out to conquer it! Tell those in charge of the prince’s teachings! “Any monarch of a country must take the lead and go to the front when the country is in crisis!”
“I follow your orders!”
The ministers responded immediately and bowed their heads, but the head of the cabinet turned white.
‘Dangerous! If the monarch steps in and makes a mistake, the country will be in danger!’
The assistant cabinet secretary, who was about to leave, paused for a moment.
‘However, I have memories of not only the previous Emperor Taizong, but also the current Emperor, and his victory. ‘If I rashly announce that this is not possible, how can I handle the anger?’
In the end, the Cabinet Secretary decided to keep quiet.
* * *
Records of the battles taking place in Liaodong continued to be transmitted to Beijing.
While examining such records, Emperor Seondeok’s interest was focused on the weapons used by the Joseon army.
“You’re putting fire extinguishers on carts and operating them in large quantities?”
The military officer immediately stepped forward and answered Emperor Seondeok’s question.
“yes. Our military also uses similar weapons. “The idea is to gather carts, build a wall, collect Ilwabonjeon (窩蜂箭), put them on top, and then fire them at the enemy.”
“As far as I know, Ilwabonjeon is used to suppress many nearby enemies. However, it is recorded that the Joseon military used it from a distance.”
“It is because the Joseon army is not brave.”
“Not brave enough?”
“yes. Ultimately, the power of a slash and arrow cannot exceed the power of a single arrow. The role of the Ilwabongjeon is to suppress a large group of enemies concentrated at close range, but if it is fired from such a distance, the spread is too wide and its power is drastically reduced.”
“I see…”
While listening to the military officer’s explanation, Emperor Seondeok made his own analysis.
‘Did they mobilize such a large army because the Joseon army was so timid?’
Emperor Seondeok analyzed the situation based on his own experience.
In the invasion of the Jurchen tribe that took place shortly after he ascended to the throne, the 3,000 cavalry he directly commanded were able to repel the 10,000 Jurchen tribe because the cavalry of the Ming Dynasty were armed with guns.
Gunpowder weapons were weapons that gave excellent results against cavalry.
And as far as he knew, Joseon was a country that focused enormous efforts on artillery.
If the gunpowder weapons deployed so intensively worked properly, there was almost no need to mobilize such a large army against only two tribes and even attack the enemy.
Even if Lee Man-ju’s tribe was a large tribe with more than 10,000 clans and had more than 30,000 cavalry, if the brave soldiers knew how to use gunpowder weapons properly, they could easily win the war.
‘So the King of Joseon personally appointed it? ‘That seems plausible.’
However, this conclusion was broken within a few days.
According to the subsequent report, the Joseon army steadily pursued and annihilated the tribes of Imanju, and finally entered into a decisive battle in Jilin.
And on the day the report came in, ‘The Joseon military is a coward.’ The head of the military officer who made the claim was lost.
* * *
Ming scouts meticulously observed the Battle of Jilin, wrote a report and sent it to Beijing.
Emperor Seondeok checked the report and carefully checked his criminal records.
In the process, the subjects analyzed and reported as thoroughly and dispassionately as possible without losing their heads.
“As expected, the power of slash and burn is weak. The Joseon military seems to have increased the range, but considering the amount of gunpowder used in a slash-and-burn attack, the results of the war are very shabby.”
“That’s right. But what is this shell exploding in the air?”
“It appears to be a weapon similar to Jincheonroe (震天雷).”
“Jin Tian-lei?”
When Emperor Seondeok expressed his doubts, one of the military officers explained Jincheonroi in detail.
“So… if you put gunpowder in an iron pill and throw it with a wick, it explodes and kills enemies?”
“That’s right. The only difference is that the Joseon military appears to have put it into a gun and fired it.”
“Put it in a gun and fire it… Hmm… It will fly far away.”
“That’s right.”
Emperor Seondeok fell into thought after hearing the military officer’s report.
‘It flies far away. It’s okay. However, artillery is a heavy weapon. Considering transportation and gunpowder to be used in artillery, I think it would be better to use it in a safe place.’
Emperor Seondeok continued to think and came to a conclusion.
“It seems like it would be great for defense.”
“Even the gods thought so. If you look at the Joseon army’s tactics against Jurchen and Japanese pirates, focusing on defense comes first. In that case, shooting or throwing Jincheonroe in a cannon will bring the best effect.”
“Right.”
Emperor Seondeok nodded and gave an order.
“Order the artillery makers to make similar weapons for us. So, install it in the fortresses of Beukwon and Liaodong.”
“I follow your orders!”
* * *
Following Bigyeokjincheonroe, what drew the most attention of Emperor Seondeok and Ming Dynasty military officers was the Gap-style rifle used by Joseon army musketeers.
“A small artillery piece that one person can carry?”
“That’s right.”
“Aren’t we already there too?”
“That’s true, but the ones used by the Joseon military are said to have a fairly long range.”
“The range is long…”
Emperor Seondeok trailed off as he stroked his chin. Emperor Seondeok, who had also benefited from this, was intrigued by it.
Emperor Seondeok, who was tapping his fingers on the desk and thinking hard, immediately gave an order.
“Add orders to the artillery craftsmen. “I want to develop a ‘small artillery with a long range that can be operated independently by ordinary soldiers.’”
“I follow your orders!”
In this way, the Ming Dynasty also began developing weapons.
* * *
As a great country, the Ming Dynasty had more artillery craftsmen than Joseon.
Thanks to this, craftsmen who received orders from Emperor Seondeok began developing Jincheonroe, which could be fired with artillery, and small artillery with a long range.
bang!
“Aaaah!”
“It was an accident!”
As loud explosions and screams erupted, the craftsmen in the workshop came out.
The craftsmen who rushed to the place where the heavy drinking and screaming occurred quickly moved.
“Extinguish the burning fire!”
“Move the people!”
After the commotion of extinguishing the fire that had spread to the clothes of craftsmen around the place where the explosion occurred and collecting and moving the dead and injured, the head of the workshop confirmed the situation.
“A small package again?”
“yes.”
After hearing the answer, the leader immediately swore.
‘A small gun with a long range that can be operated alone.’
The Ming Dynasty craftsmen who first received the order thought it was easy.
This was because small artillery that could be operated alone was already familiar.
However, the ‘long range’ continued to bring death.
“If it’s a long distance, how long is it?”
“At least 30 pieces (about 100m)”
“Yes?”
What the military wanted was a longer distance than they expected.
* * *
The best way they thought was to ‘add more gunpowder’.
However, if more gunpowder was added, the barrel exploded, causing an accident like the current accident.
The reason was that they insisted on stacking gunpowder and bullets in a single barrel like the Joseon army before the intervention of Hyang.
Therefore, accidents occurred as soon as the amount of gunpowder was increased.
In the end, the leader held his head and cried.
“What did the Koreans do!”