Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 517

Episode 517: Decisive battle. (1)

Himeji Castle, about 100 ri west of Hyogojin.

This Himeji Castle was the headquarters of the Ouchi army, which rebelled against the shogunate.

The history of Himeji Castle was truly eventful.

Built by Sadanori Akamatsu during the Northern and Southern Dynasties, this castle was a small castle.

However, through the war that broke out when Akamatsu Mitsusuke assassinated Shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori, ownership of the castle passed to the Yamana family.

And the Yamana family, who were currently guarding the castle, abandoned the castle and fled to the shogunate camp, where Ouchi took over.

* * *

“Now, let me summarize the situation.”

“hot!”

At Mochiyo’s order, the retainers who were sitting began to summarize the situation one by one and report it.

-Currently, the strength of the lords allied with Ouchi is approximately 30,000. The shogunate’s side is 32,000.

-However, the number of troops expected to be deployed in the actual decisive battle is about 18,000 Ouchi. Shogunate 20,000.

-The reason for this difference is the problem of the lords who formed an alliance. Most of the neighboring fiefdoms were not able to send troops because they were on the shogunate side or were on the lookout side.

-Although their troops are slightly inferior, the morale and loyalty of our Ouchi soldiers are overwhelmingly high.

“That’s good news. “It’s good news, but…”

Mochiyo, who was receiving the report, asked questions to his retainers.

“It is certainly good news that soldier morale and loyalty are good. So why is morale and loyalty so high? “Shouldn’t we definitely know the reason?”

The retainers looked at Mochiyo’s question for a moment and then opened their mouths one by one to answer.

“It’s because of Joseon’s products.”

“We also owe a lot to Joseon’s doctors and medicines.”

After hearing the vassals’ answers, Mochiyo stroked his beard.

“Are you also Joseon?”

* * *

Looking at the current situation in Ouchi, it was simple.

-The fight is between Ouchi samurai and soldiers, but the rest is all Joseon.

Ouchi’s soldiers were armed with Joseon weapons, filled their stomachs with Joseon healthy food, and treated their wounds with medical treatment and medicine from Korean doctors.

This was the same for samurai. They collected and collected the blessings they received from the head of the family, Mochiyo, and wore a Japanese sword specially ordered from Joseon blacksmiths. Those who could afford it more often purchased Joseon-made two-legged armor and wore it on their bodies.

It was a Joseon Dynasty where high-quality steel was already common. It had become a common occurrence for Japanese swords made by blacksmiths at a small, nameless blacksmith shop to break famous swords made by famous Japanese masters in two.

The same was true for Du Jeong-gap. Due to the experience of Morimi, the previous head of the family, being safe thanks to Dujeong-gap, starting with Mochiyo, he tried to save Dujeong-gap whenever he had the chance.

The reason why the samurai of Ouchi preferred two-headed armor was not simply because it had better defense.

Although it is said to be disappearing, many rural lords and samurai still wear the oyoroi. And in the case of this Ooyoroi, there was a problem with activity. Ooyoroi did not fit tightly to the body and had a considerable amount of free space. This was to prevent the arrow from piercing the body even if it pierced the armor. This was similar to Doomaru, who became popular after Oyoroi.

However, although it had superior defensive power than the Japanese armor, the dujeongap was tightly fitted to the body and allowed easy movement. In addition, the weight of the armor was distributed as it was made in a separate top and bottom type rather than an integrated top and bottom, preventing the wearer from quickly getting tired.

Thanks to these advantages, Ouchi’s samurai made efforts to obtain Joseon-made Japanese swords and two-jeongap. And the allied lords and their samurai who saw them also joined the trend.

Thanks to this trend from Japan, Joseon craftsmen were able to earn an unexpected income.

* * *

Just as lords and samurai were addicted to Joseon-made items, ordinary soldiers were also becoming addicted to Joseon.

The reason why Japanese soldiers fell into Joseon was a more basic issue of survival.

As the envoy of Ouchi, who met Hyang in Joseon, said, the dry food of Joseon was of a different quality from the Kanban that Japanese soldiers had eaten until then.

“It’s more luxurious than the food you eat at home!”

The soldiers who ate dry food made in Joseon shouted in unison.

The next thing that Japanese soldiers were addicted to was medical care.

* * *

Joseon’s dispatch of lawmakers to Shangjang of the Japanese Empire had a purpose other than conciliating the wounded soldiers who entered Sanghang and turning them into Joseon citizens.

The second goal was to increase the skills of lawmakers.

The additional members dispatched to their superior offices were military doctors who had completed military medical school.

The field that military doctors were primarily responsible for was trauma. Military doctors who completed military medicine were distributed to barracks throughout Joseon and performed medical duties. However, as the North became quieter, opportunities for military doctors to gain experience began to diminish.

Of course, there were many trauma patients in general society outside of the military camp, but there were many differences from war wounds, starting with the severity of the wounds.

For this reason, the war that broke out in Japan was a good opportunity.

In the early days of the war, the only place where lawmakers were stationed was the superior office. However, soon after, Joseon military doctors began to appear in large numbers in the Ouchi camp.

The reason why the prefecture sent military doctors on such a large scale was because not only the Ouchi but also the shogunate was armed with a large number of firearms and artillery.

“In the future, the use of gunpowder weapons will become routine. In that case, it is essential to gain experience in treating this in advance and pass it on and develop it!”

This was the best opportunity to gain experience dealing with war wounds caused by gunpowder weapons, such as gunshot wounds.

As the ministers all agreed to Hyang’s proposal, military doctors were dispatched in large numbers. As more and more military doctors were deployed on a regular basis, not just dispatched personnel, more and more military doctors gained experience, and the tools used for treatment began to gradually improve.

And as another additional effect, the loyalty of Ouchi soldiers increased significantly.

“The head of the family cares about even us lowly people!”

Soldiers who became more loyal to Mochiyo desperately returned even when they were defeated in battle and had to retreat.

As in the past, soldiers who would have deserted and become soldiers of the opposing side or become thieves did their best to return.

* * *

“Is it really best to follow Joseon’s example?…”

Mochiyo muttered softly and looked back at his retainer.

“Thanks to the excellent decision made by the previous head of the family, I think our situation has become the best. Where do you expect to meet again with the shogunate?”

“I think it will be around Ikuta Shrine around Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“Ikuta Shrine?”

“hot!”

At the retainer’s answer, Mochiyo traced her memory and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! What a place that was! This is a place where a new era began! “What a long road!”

* * *

The Ikuta Shrine that the retainer answered was the site of the Battle of Ichinodani, which decided the direction of the historic Genpei War.

The Genpei War was a war fought between the Heishi (平氏), which dominated the imperial court at the end of the Heian, and the Genji (源氏), a local power, for control of the Japanese state. And in the Battle of Ichinodani, Genji gained a clear advantage through the victory of Ichinodani, the home of the Heishi.

And Genji, who won the Genpei War, established the Kamakura Shogunate.

That’s why he was very happy when he heard that Mochiyo was Ichinodani. He received a hint that his Ouchi would overthrow the Kyoto shogunate and open a new era, just as Genji had defeated the central Heishi.

* * *

Mochiyo stopped laughing and cleared his voice and ordered his retainers.

“Send a messenger to the lords of the alliance and the lords who only pay attention and tell them this. ‘Don’t miss the opportunity to discuss the world with me.’”

“Hot!”

“Don’t forget to let people know that you have to join them by Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“hot!”

“good. Good….”

Mochiyo looked back at his vassals while repeating the word ‘Good.’ Mochiyo declared in a loud voice after seeing the faces of his vassals full of confidence, regardless of whether they were civil servants or non-military factions.

“good night! Use this momentum to subdue the treacherous vassals of the shogunate! “I will drive out the traitors, become the master of the world, and open a new era!”

“Oooh!”

The retainers responded to Mochiyo’s declaration with cheers.

* * *

The confidence of Mochiyo and his retainers soon spread to the samurai and soldiers under his command.

The weather was getting cooler as the rainy season and scorching heat that had made people tired disappeared.

Also, as the harvest season arrived and their stomachs were filled with food every day, the morale of the soldiers was increasing.

Hee hee hee! Rolling!

The soldiers, who were walking vigorously toward the decisive battle ground, turned their heads when they heard the sound of horses neighing.

From where the sound was coming, horses were approaching, pulling a carriage loaded with toys and a cart loaded with boxes containing shells.

The soldiers who saw the toys raised their clenched fists to the sky and shouted.

“It’s artillery!”

“It’s artillery!”

“Wow!”

For soldiers, toys and the Bigyeokjincheonroe they fire had already become objects of faith.

Small battles without toys were often lost. However, in battles where toys and bigyeokjincheonroe were used, only victory was achieved.

The soldiers who saw the toy procession moving forward, overtaking their own procession, shouted in unison.

“It’s victory this time too!”

“It’s a victory!”

* * *

Meanwhile, the lords who heard Mochiyo’s message through the messengers sent by Ouchi became serious and talked to their vassals.

“Should I listen to Ouchi?”

“Isn’t that the case?”

“But you can also rob an empty house. Ouchi could lose there.”

The worries of the lords were the same.

-What should you do if your house is robbed or Ouchi loses?

The vassals also looked perplexed at the lords’ concerns. However, regardless of territory, retainers belonging to the Ouchi faction came to similar conclusions.

“I am definitely worried about the problem of burglars from empty houses, but I think Ouchi’s defeat will be difficult.”

“why?”

“Behind Ouchi is Joseon.”

“There is a person behind the shogunate.”

“It is difficult for Ming to move, but Joseon can move quickly.”

“you’re right. It is difficult for Ming to move now due to the emperor’s health problems, but in Joseon, the Crown Prince is already in control of everything. From what we heard, the Crown Prince of Joseon would never just sit by and watch.”

“There is no need for the entire Joseon Dynasty to move. “The situation will end if only the naval forces staying in the South Sea and Tsushima of Joseon move.”

The lords, who continued to worry about the words of their vassals, made up their minds.

“If Joseon moves, victory or defeat will be decided. Prepare to dispatch troops!”

“hot!”

The ‘Joseon Joseon Navy’

were the lords who decided to send out troops with just these two entities.

And ten days later, large armies from both sides camped on the flat land around Ikuta Shrine.

There were two days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival.