Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 577
Episode 577 Go to war! Assault return ship (9) The
Ming naval forces lost their senses, and the Ming fleet became even more slow in its movement.
Without missing this moment, the front lines of the Joseon navy rushed in and began to bite.
The Joseon naval fleet, which had grown in size as the front lines of Gyeongsang Woosuyeong gathered together, formed a huge octagonal formation and began bombarding.
bang! Quack!
Each time the Joseon navy continued its fierce bombardment, Ming’s battle lines broke apart and collapsed.
As the Joseon navy began to attack, the Ming fleet became even more tangled.
“We must run away! “Retreat at full speed!”
“Anyway, the escape route is cut off! “I will fight to the death!”
The fronts that tried to run away until the end and the fronts that tried to fight with a desperate attitude were tangled up.
Among the tangled wires, a fierce war of words ensued between the captains.
“Don’t block my retreat! Now is the time to step aside and plan for the future!”
“The retreat route is already blocked! “The best way is to break through those Joseon fronts!”
“The difference in firepower is the same, but do you think that is possible?”
“Even if you run away, those Joseon pirates will catch you! “The best defense is offense!”
“When the Black Flame Dragon comes, everything will end!”
“So, isn’t that why we should break through before the Black Flame Dragon comes?”
“Stop talking nonsense and get out of the way! “Otherwise I’ll shoot you!”
“Running away from the enemy is a real punishment! Fight immediately!”
“Shoot it!”
Quack!
In the end, a fierce firefight broke out between those trying to flee and those trying to fight.
It was the moment when the Ming navy, which Emperor Seondeok had worked hard to raise for more than 10 years, collapsed into a ragtag group simply because there was no one to control the whole thing.
* * *
While the Ming Dynasty navy collapsed due to self-centered rebellion, the Joseon navy steadily reduced the enemies in front of it.
The scene of dozens of ships attacking enemy ships with artillery fire while maintaining a strict formation made not only the Ming Dynasty but also the Japanese who were just watching tremble in fear.
“Is this a naval battle?…”
The older samurai could not hide their fear as they watched the battle unfolding before their eyes.
The naval battles they have experienced so far have been hand-to-hand combat. The only difference between hand-to-hand combat on land was that it took place on ships at sea.
When encountering an enemy, fold the sails and sprinkle sand on the deck to prepare for enemy fire. The norm was to row the oars with all your might, charge at the enemy ship, and then engage in hand-to-hand combat by going back and forth between each other’s decks.
They engaged in hand-to-hand combat, glaring into the eyes of their opponents and receiving the deadly blows from their enemies with their whole bodies. Sometimes, even in situations where defeat is certain due to inferior strength, the game can be turned around with momentum alone in traditional hand-to-hand combat.
However, this was not the case in the naval battle where the Joseon and Ming battle lines are now visible.
It was a battle where artillery shells were fired from such a distance that one could not even recognize the opponent’s facial expressions, let alone their eyes.
In a battle like that, even a little damage would have greatly weakened our troops’ fighting spirit. This was something we had fully experienced in the last civil war. When damage began to occur from the Ouchi army’s artillery and gunfire visible in the distance, the soldiers’ morale immediately plummeted.
Of course, it was important to maintain the soldiers’ strong fighting spirit and spirit even during an artillery battle like this. However, it was different from maintaining fighting spirit and momentum in close combat. Never get excited and do your best at your job. This was the biggest difference in the battles between the Ming and Joseon Dynasty.
Of course, there were quite a few who insisted on spiritual victory until the end.
“But if we make sacrifices and engage in close combat, we will win! Give flesh and take bones! “That is samurai!”
The Joseon commanders who heard this story later commented with cynicism.
“That’s a good thing, but you’ll have to give up your bones to deal with us.”
However, those who were shouting for bushido were left speechless as Maeng Jin-ho passed by them.
Maeng Jin-ho, which sailed on its own without sails or oars, had a roof covered with large plates that appeared to be iron armor, surrounded the hull, and had a huge dragon’s head on its bow, was like a sea monster from legend.
And when Maeng Jin-ho’s dragon gun, which passed by them and jumped into the battlefield, spewed out a huge fire, even the old samurai who had been on the battlefield for decades were pissed.
* * *
The battle ended quickly as Maeng Jin-ho joined the battle.
The guns of the Maeng Jin-ho, which had been pushed into the middle of the tangled Ming fleet, started spewing fire and the surrounding battle lines began to shatter.
Maeng Jin-ho, who had experienced through the previous battle that the power of Ming artillery did not cause damage, moved slowly and destroyed the surrounding Ming lines step by step.
The Ming fleet, subjected to a pincer attack from both inside and outside, once again accepted the result of destruction.
Once again, the few lucky survivors quickly fled to the rear.
Following a signal from the Joseon naval command, which confirmed the fleeing Ming soldiers, several naval emergency ships chased after them.
Their order was not to chase and sink, but to herd sheep.
-Prevent them from escaping to the wrong area other than the military port. If many people with actual combat experience survive, it will be a headache in many ways. Drive them into a military port and later defeat them together.
According to such orders, the emergency front lines drove the fleeing front lines to the military port of Cheongseong.
While the sheep herding was in progress, the remaining Joseon navy began to clear the battlefield. Among the surrendering ships, all of the large and medium ships were sunk, and only the small ships were captured and handed over to Norihiro along with the prisoners.
“Do you mind if I hand over so many prisoners?”
Master Gyeongsang Master answered on behalf of the monks to Norihiro’s question.
“This is a gift to further solidify the friendship between our Joseon Dynasty and the Daenae Clan. “Approval has already come down from above.”
* * *
The decision to hand over the prisoners to Ouchi was predetermined.
“Geunmukjaheuk (近墨者黑)… The customs of the Ming people are not good for our Joseon, so there is no need for too many prisoners. “I’d rather hand it over to Why.”
“The Prime Minister’s plan is reasonable.”
“That’s right.”
Even the other ministers agreed to Hwang Hee’s suggestion, and Hyang also nodded right away.
* * *
Norihiro bowed his head with a bright face in response to the sergeant’s answer.
“Your Majesty the Lord has bestowed upon you the grace of a year and year, and I am truly humbled!”
“If you think about it, wouldn’t it be possible to say that Mr. Daenae is a relative of us? “You have to help your relatives.”
“That’s right. “That’s right!”
It was Norihiro and the monks who constantly created a friendly atmosphere.
* * *
In order to make the Daenae clan clearly on Joseon’s side, various operations were carried out, and one of them was to make and hand over ‘Bocheop (譜牒 genealogy)’.
When we produced a genealogy listing Prince Imseong of Baekje as the founder according to the legend passed down to the Ouchi family and handed it to the Ouchi clan, all the elders of the Ouchi family, including Mochiyo, the head of the family at the time and Morimi, the previous head of the family, were delighted. .
This was because it was not just their own claim, but was acknowledged by Joseon, which could be said to be its root.
In particular, Morimi, who was a strong advocate of ‘removing Japan from Japan’, was delighted to force his weak body to personally entertain Joseon’s messengers.
“With this, our family is not just a family of local country bumpkins, but a proud descendant of royalty!”
* * *
After clearing the battlefield, the main camp of the Joseon navy reorganized its formation and headed toward Qingcheng on the Shandong Peninsula.
What was interesting was that Maeng Jin-ho, who always showed up late, took the lead.
The monks who were watching Maeng Jin-ho advancing at the front, spouting black smoke, all said one thing at a time.
“A black flame dragon? “The nickname is truly grandiose.”
“In a way, it seems fitting….”
“The Jurchen people who saw the iron horse for the first time also called it a dragon and offered sacrifices to it….”
“But you’re not suggesting that we change its name to Black Flame Dragon instead of Maeng Jinho, right?”
“Captain Kang has some eccentricities, but they are not that severe.”
“That’s true. “Now that I think about it, the second Janggye must have arrived in Hanseong.”
The Gyeonggi investigator responded to the Hwanghae investigator’s words with a face full of curiosity.
“I’m really curious about Hanseong’s reaction when he hears the word Black Flame Dragon.”
“I agree.”
* * *
“Black Flame Dragon?”
Hyang, who received the detailed written instructions including the interrogation of the prisoners captured in the ‘West Sea Battle’, had a truly strange expression as soon as he saw the word ‘Black Flame Dragon’.
‘no! ‘Why is this here?’
Unlike Hyang, whose expression was difficult to describe, the reactions of the ministers who read the copies were quite favorable.
“It’s called the Black Flame Dragon… The Chinese have said it’s an exaggeration since ancient times, but it seems like they’re very mad.”
“Isn’t it rather good? It wasn’t us who put it on, it was them who put it on. Doesn’t that mean they are that scared?”
“I think it suits you quite well. “It has a jet-black body covered with bitumen from the roof to the bottom, and a dragon’s head on the bow.”
Eventually, the scent came and the conversation ended.
“We didn’t ask them to call us that, but they called us dragons and said they were scared, so we told them to call us dragons. However, since it has a name called ‘Charge Return’, it is prohibited to call it Black Flame Dragon.”
“I will do so.”
Even as I made that decision, I had different thoughts about the scent.
‘Isn’t this going to be called Black Flame Dragon Shock instead of Black Sun Shock?’
Meanwhile, the officer who was recording all these facts added.
-… In this way, the Eastern Palace forbade the use of the title ‘Black Flame Dragon’, and all the ministers followed suit.
The officer says:
The dragon is an auspicious animal. Therefore, its name or shape should not be used carelessly. If you do something wrong, you will end up becoming an object of shame.
As Donggung said, we did not come forward and call him a dragon, but they called him a dragon, so the shame is theirs.
But this is a big deal. The term ‘black flame dragon’ is too familiar.
* * *
By the time the main camp of the Joseon navy arrived at Cheongseong, Cheongseong was already in chaos.
“The Joseon navy has blocked the port!”
“Run to land!”
There were only 10 sea emergency ships. It was impossible to blockade the port with that much water.
However, the Ming navy had already lost their senses and ran the ship aground on the shore and fled to land.
“These guys stand still!”
“Catch them all!”
“Collect artillery and gunpowder shells from the stranded front lines!”
“Reinforce the battery with the collected shells!”
The commanders of the units in charge of the defense of the military port captured the fleeing sailors and collected artillery and gunpowder from the stranded front lines to strengthen the batteries.
He then instructed the captured sailors to operate the reinforced battery.
However, as soon as Maeng Jin-ho appeared, the sailors who had been placed in that way began to escape.
“The Black Flame Dragon came all the way here! “Run away!”
As the frightened sailors began to escape, even the soldiers already in the battery began to flinch.
In the end, Wang Ho-myeong, the general in charge of the defense of the military port, gave an order.
“Catch all the escaping creatures, shackle them and tie them to the canvas!”