Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 553

Episode 553: Battle begins. (1)

The events taking place in Liaodong were conveyed to Emperor Seondeok as secretly as possible and as quickly as possible.

After checking the report from Liaodong, Emperor Seondeok burst into laughter.

“her! Heh heh! Starting in March? March? March?”

After checking the contents of the report several times, Emperor Seondeok shook his head slightly and muttered.

“Being bold is good, but failing to watch the timing is fatal. “Thank God I pushed it away.”

Emperor Seondeok thought it would take about three years until Ju Ji-jin took action.

It was thought that the process of gathering about 300,000 troops and training them would take that much time.

However, just a few months after going to Liaodong, he filled 300,000 troops and prepared to invade Joseon.

“Did I make a mistake in selecting this person?”

The generals that Emperor Seondeok gave to Joo Jin-jin were capable, but were eliminated on the way to success due to other problems.

“Because they are capable, they will still be able to build a healthy military.”

However, the generals were beyond Emperor Seondeok’s expectations. And when Emperor Seondeok received this result sheet, he frowned.

“With their experience, it would still be too much…”

The generals sent to Joo Jin-jin had a fatal problem in that their experience was shallow.

Even Jo Byeong-deok, the most advanced commander, had only ever commanded 10,000 troops.

The problem was that there were no people with experience in drawing the big picture who had experience in moving hundreds of thousands of soldiers, such as the top leaders of the military, the left and right governors, and the veteran officers below them.

* * *

“Hmm….”

Emperor Seondeok, who was examining the situation, analyzed what his mistake was.

“Was the money the problem? “How many times did I have to send it?”

Making weapons and raising and maintaining an army required considerable expenditure. However, the situation in Liaodong was difficult to create and maintain a large army of several hundred thousand people.

Therefore, Emperor Seondeok created and sent funds for this purpose.

The amount of money sent by Emperor Xiande to Zhu Zhijin was enormous, almost half of the Ming court’s annual operating budget.

And the source of this money was a slush fund raised by separately taking out a significant portion of the profits obtained from the joint venture with Joseon.

In the process of sending this slush fund, Emperor Seondeok had some concerns.

“Would it be better to send it all at once? Or split it into several parts?”

Emperor Seondeok thought for a moment and immediately came to a conclusion.

-If it is sent separately and exposed, there is a high possibility that Joseon will notice.

“I can’t help it.”

Emperor Seondeok, worried that Joseon would notice, chose to send them all at once.

It was a decision made by Emperor Seondeok, who did not know how carefully Joseon was observing Liaodong.

And Joo Jin-jin used these funds to create 300,000 troops in just a few months.

Here, the nature of the army completed by Ju Gi-jin changed.

He had become a mercenary.

* * *

After organizing the situation, Emperor Seondeok came to a conclusion.

“Contrary to expectations, I hope it doesn’t go as far as direct intervention. By the way, it was a good decision to push Kijin out as crown prince. “He is a great man who would have been destroyed immediately if he had ascended to the throne with that kind of personality.”

It was Emperor Seondeok who gave a cool-headed evaluation of Joo Jin-jin.

However, this was an excuse and an avoidance of responsibility for Emperor Seondeok himself.

‘He used his own son and his legitimate eldest son as bait.’

It was an excuse to ease the guilt of making a heartless decision. But this was just deceiving oneself.

The most representative example was the secret message sent to Ju Ji-jin through Wang Chong.

-If Joseon is obtained, title will be granted.

While conveying this secret message, Wang Chong added this:

“The choice is yours.”

However, Emperor Seondeok omitted the word ‘if’ from this secret secret message.

Emperor Seondeok knew very well what decision Joo Ji-jin, who suffered a huge blow to his pride after being pushed out of his promised position as emperor, would make. In the end, this was a compulsion, not a choice.

* * *

At the same time that Emperor Xuande was deceiving himself in Beijing, in Hanseong, Hyang was engaged in a war of words with the army.

The reason for the war of words was the size of the troops deployed in and around Insanjin and the Yalu River, where the Ming army was expected to attempt to cross.

“There is no significant disagreement regarding the expected crossing point, first and second defense lines, and follow-up measures. But…”

Hyang paused for a moment and continued speaking, tapping the report with his fingers.

“The deployment of troops is the problem. “I think this is ridiculously inadequate, since one department, including the troops of Insanjin in charge of defending the expected point, is the entire first line of defense.”

The size of the total wealth varied depending on the troops in charge of supply and administration, but the average was around 17,000.

The scent was pointing out that this army was currently lacking.

However, those who expressed doubts about Hyang’s comments were military personnel.

“It is believed that that level is sufficient for defense.”

In response to the generals’ answers, Hyang immediately began to refute them.

“They say that the first thing that determines the outcome of a battle is celestial timing, and the next is geography, right? They took the city with them, and we brought the geography. So wouldn’t it be advantageous for us to secure the next important military force? Think about the turmoil between Lee Man-joo and Muntemu in the past. “The first thing our Joseon army took advantage of was the advantage of geography, and then the advantage of troops.”

The expressions on the military generals’ faces turned strange as Hyang pointed out. Most of the generals here now were those who participated in the battle at the time. In front of them, Hyang was talking about that incident.

However, no one came forward and pointed this out.

Not only was the person in front of him the Crown Prince, the current supreme commander, but it was also because of the achievements Hyang had accumulated over the years.

It was Hyang who researched and came up with weapons that could overwhelm the armies of other countries and how to use them properly to create an impregnable castle.

In the field of weapons technology and military strategy, Hyang was someone who had the skills and track record to make it impossible for even those who were worn out in the military to make a fuss.

In the end, Choi Yun-deok came forward and responded to Hyang’s point.

“The major general also participated in the last war. Therefore, I am well aware of what you are pointing out. However, just as the geography changed over time, the weapons of our Joseon army also changed. Thanks to this, we have reached a situation where the number of soldiers is small and the military is more superior. First of all, this is evident just by looking at long guns. No matter how slow a soldier is, if he picks up a Japanese-style rifle, he can kill the enemy three times faster than a Japanese-style rifle. If you have quick hands, you can shoot five times faster. It’s not just about speed. These soldiers are also skilled in marksmanship. Additionally, there is Bigyeokjincheonroi, which has boasted the greatest power since ancient times. How about Eulsikhwacha? It is a weapon that can kill a hundred, or even a thousand per day. Even if you look at the defense side, there is a wire mesh fence. “It is difficult to break through this wire mesh without the right tools, so only one person can do it with one wire mesh.”

Hyang sighed at Choi Yun-deok’s words.

“Whoa~.”

‘These guys have too much faith in weapons!’

After catching her breath, Hyang began to refute Choi Yun-deok’s words.

“yes. The general is right. The performance of the Eulsik Long Rifle is excellent, and the quality of the soldiers who use it is also extremely excellent. However, you need time to aim properly in order to kill with one hit. If you need a moment to catch your breath before aiming and shooting at one enemy, what will you do if three, four, or five people come running at you during that time? Even if Bigyeokjincheonroe and Eulsikhwacha are capable of killing a hundred thousand a day, what will you do if ten thousand people rush in?”

“For that part, use the wire mesh…”

“Even if you don’t have tools, you can break through by breaking the supports that support the wire mesh. Of course, the enemy will incur heavy losses in the process, but if we endure it, the enemy will break through.”

“Of course you can, but then you will have to take more losses than necessary. “This is something that a long-lived person can avoid.”

“If this is the only way to win, wouldn’t you choose it? “What would you do if you were a general who had to break through the front line in this position?”

“Of course, that’s the worst case scenario.”

While affirming Hyang’s words, Choi Yun-deok continued to refute them.

“However, the number of soldiers in Liaodong is known to be around 350,000. Excluding the troops to maintain security in Liaodong, the maximum number is around 300,000. “The number of troops is too low to wage such a war of attrition.”

“But there is enough room to break through the defense line guarded by one division. “Don’t you think that the morale of our soldiers guarding the second line will drop the moment they hear the news of defeat?”

In response to Hyang’s rebuttal, Choi Yun-deok kept his mouth shut.

I wanted to immediately refute the issue of low morale, but I couldn’t refute it easily. There were many incidents like those pointed out by Hyang, not only the numerous records of defeat recorded in the previous dynasty, but also the disgraceful situation experienced in the conquest of Tsushima Island.

Looking at Choi Yun-deok’s disappointed face, Hyang continued speaking.

“The situation we are preparing for now is not just a situation where the Jurchen tribe invades the border. If that were the case, I would have said that the measures I received were excellent. But that’s not it, is it?”

“….”

Hearing Hyang’s words, the generals just looked at their desks with frustrated expressions. The point of incense was piercing their painful spots.

Hyang continued speaking.

“We still have time to deal with it and we have the troops. In this situation, brave fighting is commendable, but forcing a hard fight is something the military’s high-ranking officials have nothing to say even if they are criticized. From the perspective of soldiers who have to stop the enemy on the front line right away, wouldn’t they feel more powerful if they had more comrades guarding their side?”

There was quite a bit of slang in the middle, but the generals couldn’t be upset.

In the end, Choi Yun-deok waved the white flag as the representative.

“I believe your words are reasonable. Then, how many troops would you like to deploy?”

“I think we should deploy at least three departments.”

Choi Yun-deok expressed his disapproval at Hyang’s words.

“Isn’t it too much to place three departments in Insanjin and the surrounding area? “If too many soldiers are concentrated in a small space, the density of troops may be too high and there may be confusion in command.”

At Choi Yun-deok’s point, Hyang looked at the map and opened a military geography book. Hyang, who had been looking through a military geography book for a while, looked at Choi Yun-deok.

“Looking at the geography, the width on both sides of that protrusion is about 15 ri (about 6 km). Are you saying that placing three departments in that space would be overcrowding and cause confusion in command?”

“The space is not a field, but a private house, and there are various restrictions, including communication and command issues…”

Hyang responded firmly to Choi Yun-deok’s words.

“In that case, I will personally go to Insanjin and take command. “There won’t be any commanders who act foolishly even when I’m right in front of them, right?”

Choi Yun-deok became thoughtful at the Hyang’s bombshell declaration.

“I will deploy two departments and do my best to lead them!”

“You must give three.”

Hyang insisted on three parts until the end, and in the end, Choi Yun-deok waved the white flag.

“I will place three departments.”

“thank you.”

After receiving Hyang’s gratitude, Choi Yun-deok asked Hyang again.

“If this happens, the location and nature of the second line of defense must also change. “I think it would be a good idea to move the location of the second defense line a little further north and change its character from a defense line to an offensive standby line.”

“I agree.”

* * *

The meeting ended and Hyang, left alone in the office, grumbled softly.

“If I could, I would at least show them a movie about World War I…”