Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 587

Episode 587 Hwangnyongrak (黃龍落) (2)

The report on the Ming army’s situation was immediately delivered to Choi Yun-deok.

After gathering key commanders and staff, questions were immediately asked.

“What do you think?”

In response to Choi Yun-deok’s question, one of the commanders who was in the last seat opened his mouth.

“I believe he may have been exhausted in the process of rushing back after hearing the news from the soldiers who had been routed in Liaodong Province.”

After hearing those words, Choi Yun-deok nodded slightly.

“It seems to make sense, but there is a problem. When calculated backwards based on documents obtained from Liaodong Province, they are a whopping two years too late. Anyone who has mastered the art of war should already know how much an army can move in a day. “Isn’t that right?”

The commanders nodded at Choi Yun-deok’s point.

* * *

Even in military records handed down from ancient times, it was said that the first step in establishing a military strategy was to figure out how far the army could travel per day. Knowing this, it was possible to occupy terrain that was advantageous to the allies and calculate the scale of logistics needed for war.

The Joseon military also prepared materials in advance and established a logistics plan accordingly to go to war.

Of course, unexpected variables arose along the way, so it was difficult.

* * *

“Then why….”

“Hmm….”

The commanders who sympathized with Choi Yun-deok’s point continued to ponder over and over again to find an appropriate basis.

At that moment, an acrid smell came in through the open curtain of the military tent.

“The smell of Jechunghyang (除蟲香) is strong today as well.”

“It seems a lot worse. Shall we take down the badge?”

“No…”

Choi Yun-deok and the commanders who were talking about the acrid smell coming from outside stopped at the same time.

“ah!”

Lee Jing-ok, who let out a brief exclamation, immediately opened his mouth.

“I think it’s because of a disease.”

Choi Yun-deok nodded loudly at Lee Jing-ok’s words.

“I think so too.”

From ancient times, in order to advance from China to Liaodong, one had to pass through the corridor of the Liaoxi region. It was an area where large and small mountains blocked the road to the north and Bohai Bay to the south.

Another characteristic of this Liaoxi region was the enormous amount of wetlands and swamps. There were so many wetlands and swamps that the Liaoxi region was called Liaoze (遼澤) among its separate names.

Because of this, the Joseon army also had to suffer while marching to Daling River.

This was because the cavalry and scouts had to be deployed on a large scale to find a large dry land where the large army could easily move and sleep.

In addition to these geopolitical issues, timing was also an issue.

It was now June.

An enormous number of mosquitoes arose and swarmed in the wetlands and swamps scattered everywhere.

In order to protect soldiers as much as possible from these mosquitoes and flying insects, the Joseon army had to burn large quantities of insecticide incense.

As a bonus, this Jechunghyang was also an item that had been touched by the breath of incense.

Jechunghyang, made from waste paper and mugwort powder collected from palaces, government offices, and other places, was useful in repelling mosquitoes and flying insects.

Of course, there was already a method of rolling dried mugwort leaves and burning them, but the Jechunghyang made by Hyang was popular because it was easier to store and use.

* * *

The Joseon army most likely cited ‘disease caused by pests’ as the cause of the Ming army’s late arrival.

In fact, it was disease that plagued the Ming army, and the cause was not just pests.

Drinking water problems were another cause.

Wetlands and swamps could not serve as a source of drinking water for soldiers. It was impossible to provide sufficient supplies for 800,000 troops from nearby rivers or wells in villages.

Therefore, most soldiers roughly filtered the muddy water collected from nearby areas and used it as drinking water. And this method was also familiar to soldiers.

Since ancient times, the Central Plains has been famous for its poor water quality, which is why tea developed. In order to drink tea, water had to be boiled, and in this process it was naturally sterilized. And cheap tea was so common that street vendors selling tea with sugar were prevalent, so even ordinary soldiers carried their own tea powder and sugar.

The problem was that they were an army of 800,000.

In order to drink tea, water had to be boiled and, of course, large quantities of additional firewood were needed. And I also needed some time.

The ordinary soldiers, who found this annoying, got away with it by just drinking the roughly filtered water.

Another problem was that of excretion.

The amount of feces produced by a large army of 800,000 was also enormous. Of course, a pit was dug in each camp to provide a toilet. However, demand always exceeded supply, and soldiers in a hurry would usually go to a quiet place outside the camp to do their business.

As the situation progressed, the water near the camp became polluted.

The number of 800,000 was an impossible number to move at once. The soldiers, divided into groups and units, departed one after another, moved around, and stayed in the camp.

As this process was repeated, the areas around the campsites built along the route became a mess of soldiers’ excrement.

Those who were the first to go to the vanguard were better off, but as they went to the rear, they had to find food and lodging in camps that became more and more disorganized. Thanks to this, a large number of sick people began to appear in units belonging to the rear army.

As the rear army became a mess, the movement speed of the vanguard unit slowed down, and the soldiers of the vanguard unit also became a mess due to the increasingly hot weather and insect attacks.

On the other hand, the Joseon army was fully prepared to avoid this situation. We prepared a large amount of water purification molds and even brought lime powder to use in the bathroom.

This was because the lime powder that absorbed moisture hardened and generated high heat, which had a somewhat useful sterilizing effect. Soldiers who went about their business in the bathroom were trained to scoop up lime dust from a nearby bucket and throw it away with a small shovel. No, that wasn’t enough, so each soldier was given four small packages of lime powder for one-time use. It was intended to be used in cases where the toilet was not available and the person had to defecate outside.

Of course, this was also Hyang’s work. Incense was so sensitive to this issue that one of the first things it made was a flush toilet.

* * *

Choi Yun-deok, who guessed the general situation, stroked his beard and muttered.

“Does this make you want to use tricks?”

“yes?”

Lee Jing-ok, who briefly expressed doubt at Choi Yun-deok’s muttering, soon smiled slightly and asked.

“Are you thinking about a deadly war?”

Choi Yun-deok nodded to Lee Jing-ok’s question.

“Now that we’re exhausted, wouldn’t it be easier for us to relax a little more?”

Lee Jing-ok and the commanders nodded at Choi Yun-deok’s words.

“Then shall we change the strategy like that?”

“Hmm…”

The staff who understood Choi Yun-deok’s words suggested a change to the plan, but Choi Yun-deok did not respond right away. Choi Yun-deok, who was stroking his beard with his arms crossed, opened his mouth.

“The problem is that we have come this far and are taking a step back. “It’s fun when you move forward, but when you go back, you have a lot of thoughts about this and that.”

“Ah…”

When Choi Yun-deok mentioned the soldiers’ morale problem, the staff and commanders immediately nodded.

“Fortunately, the cavalry discovered Ming’s vanguard early. “We have some time to spare, so let’s think about it a little more.”

“yes.”

But soon a decision had to be made.

* * *

Noon the next day.

“An urgent report has arrived from the naval forces!”

“Urgent report?”

Choi Yun-deok, who had been resting for a while, woke up when his adjutant informed him.

Choi Yun-deok’s face hardened as he sat on a chair and opened the letter from the naval forces.

“Ming additional troops departing from Shanhaiguan? At least 100,000 or more?”

After rechecking the contents of the letter, Choi Yun-deok immediately gave an order.

“Gather the staff and commanders!”

“ancient!”

Choi Yun-deok’s order was given, and after a half-hour demonstration, staff and commanders gathered at the headquarters’ military tent.

“This is an urgent report from the navy. “The friendly front line scouting the Shanhaiguan area captured it and reported it.”

Choi Yun-deok, who revealed the source of the urgent report, handed the document to a senior staff member. The senior staff member who received the document read it loudly.

“Ming additional troops depart from Shanhaiguan! At least 100,000 or more!”

The faces of the commanders crumpled as the senior staff member read it out loud.

“Are people the only thing left in that country? If you do anything, the basic price is 100,000 units….”

“I mean…”

While the commanders were grumbling quietly, Choi Yun-deok looked at the staff and high-ranking commanders.

“What should I do? Should I back down? Or should I take it here?”

“Wouldn’t it be better if we retreated, since we could dislodge the enemy’s camp?”

“That’s right. The added troops are similarly exhausted in the process of getting here. So I think it would be better to push back.”

As those who supported it came out, those who opposed it also came out.

“You have to accept it here. “When our enemies know that we have retreated, their spirit will revive.”

“I’ll buy it back. The moment they know that we have retreated, they will think that we have scared them and will become more energetic. “We have already prepared everything, so we must defeat the enemy here.”

“It is a problem for the enemy’s morale to rise, but we must not forget that there is also a significant possibility that our allies’ morale will fall!”

A fierce war of words broke out between those who argued on both sides. Since both sides had legitimate grounds, the two sides fought each other tightly.

“stop.”

As the war of words seemed to be heating up, Choi Yun-deok intervened. When those who were arguing fell silent, Choi Yun-deok came to a conclusion.

“Both opinions make sense, so I’ll think about it a little more. “But time is running out, so we will make a decision later this evening.”

“yes.”

After making a decision that was not a decision, the staff and commanders left the military camp.

Choi Yun-deok, who followed them out of the military camp, looked at the sky and sighed.

“Huh~. What should I do with this? No matter which side you choose, you will be in trouble…”

However, it wasn’t long before Choi Yun-deok had to make a decision.

* * *

“The Commander-in-Chief Commander is here urgently!”

Choi Yun-deok smiled bitterly at the adjutant’s shout.

“Now, just hearing the word ‘emergency dispatch’ makes me sick to my stomach. “Give it to me.”

After receiving the letter from the adjutant, Choi Yun-deok examined the contents and immediately gave an order to the adjutant.

“Reconvene all commanders immediately!”

“ancient!”

* * *

To the staff and commanders who had gathered in the military camp again, Choi Yun-deok held out his letter and opened his mouth.

“I received an urgent report from the Chakho Musketeers who sent a scout to the vicinity of Jangseong. “The Ming soldiers guarding the wall are moving toward us.”

The senior staff member, who had received the letter from Choi Yun-deok and was examining its contents, took out the letter he had received earlier and looked at its contents.

A senior staff member who meticulously analyzed the two documents reported to Choi Yun-deok.

“Based on the calculation from the time the report was posted, the additional troops said to be coming appear to be troops guarding the general.”

“is it?”

“yes.”

The senior staff member, who paused and thought for a moment, made a suggestion to Choi Yun-deok.

“It would be best for you to step back.”

“why?”

“Soldiers who protect the great walls are elite even in the Ming army. Even if the road ahead is difficult, they will maintain discipline to some extent. In that case, it would be best to draw them in more and exhaust them.”

“Hmm…”

Choi Yun-deok, who kept his mouth shut and thought for a while, finally made a decision.

“Step back.”