Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 766
Episode 766: A disaster brought about by oneself…. (1) A
group of additional sailors landed from the front group that confirmed the flag signal sent from the beachhead.
While a group of soldiers stood guard, the soldiers at the beachhead diligently loaded the carts.
“Drinking water and food are in the middle of the cart!”
“Secure the stands of the freight car to the cart!”
“Leave the cartridges near the freight car so they can be used at any time!”
“Don’t gather all the gunpowder for toys in one place! If it explodes, the toy becomes scrap metal! No, you all die too!”
What the commanders were most concerned about was loading freight cars onto carts and loading gunpowder for toys that would fire bigyeokjincheonroe.
It was like entering a place where you never know what will happen. If you made even the slightest mistake, the location would be instantly dead.
If something happened, they had to escape using the cart as a shield. The most important role at this time was the freight car. Therefore, the commanders carefully considered where to fix the wagon’s pedestal on the cart to get the best results.
Of course, there was a manual on this, but there were variables depending on the time and place. That’s why the officers began to worry.
The same goes for gunpowder used in toys. The toy would have been useless if it had been placed in a cart for convenience of transportation and was washed away by water or caught fire.
No, it was fortunate that he was swept away by the water. They were all gathered in one place, but if a fiery arrow flew in and struck them or even caught fire, hell would unfold.
Therefore, the commanders carefully managed the loading of the carts.
Montezuma I and the high-ranking commanders who returned to base watched the movements of the imperial army with eyes full of curiosity.
What caught their attention were the horses pulling the cart and the cart itself.
“I can’t believe there is such a big animal…”
* * *
The horse that Hyang first brought in grew in size and endurance improved through continued breeding.
The hardships experienced by horse farm managers and breeders to achieve this result were enormous.
This was because the previous situation was so bad that there was a saying, ‘No matter how big and powerful a horse is brought in, it gives birth to smaller and smaller foals.’
To solve this problem, horse farm managers and breeders intensively bred horses in the Gaema Plateau and the plains of the northeastern region. In addition, they searched for and hired a large number of the Jurchen tribe, who were known to be good at raising horses.
After these efforts, the station horses and war horses brought to Joseon began to be known as famous horses.
* * *
“Surely, if you use those beasts and tools, it will be easy to move around.”
Montezuma I nodded at his subordinate’s words.
It’s contradictory, but carts did not exist in the Aztec Empire and nearby regions. No, the wheel itself did not exist.
The transportation of goods was all about people carrying them.
Therefore, not only Montezuma I but all the Aztecs present could not take their eyes off the cart.
And what followed was greed.
“I want to take that away…”
“How can I take it away?”
Whether or not they knew that the Aztecs were looking at them with greedy eyes, the imperial army was fully prepared. When preparations were completed, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo mounted his horse and stood at the head of the unit.
After confirming that the empire’s preparations were complete, Montezuma I issued an order.
“Going back to Tenochtlan.”
* * *
It was almost 20 days after leaving the bridgehead that the warriors led by Montezuma I and Admiral Ahn Sang-soo’s troops arrived in Tenochtlan.
“It’s farther than expected…”
Admiral Ahn Sang-soo, who looked quite tired, looked back on the process of getting here and became distraught.
“If something goes wrong and I have to retreat, I’ll have to suffer a bit, right?”
It was quite easy to pass through the jungle area facing the beach. This was thanks to the fact that many people moved together to open a passage.
The problem was the mountain range we encountered after leaving the jungle.
In history before the intervention of fragrances, it took up a lot of time as it passed through the mountain range called ‘Sierra Madre Oriental’.
What took up this time was the cart pulled by the imperial army. Even when pulled by powerful horses, the rough and narrow road itself was a time-consuming obstacle.
Because of this, even the imperial soldiers clung to the cart and, after a fierce struggle to push and pull, were able to pass through the mountain range.
After going through a difficult battle, the imperial commanders looked at the Aztecs with different eyes.
What greeted the imperial army as it passed through the jungle was a large Aztec supply unit.
At a glance, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo and other commanders opened their notebooks at the enormous scale, which seemed to be several times larger than the combat unit that moved with them.
-Existence of a proper supply system.
-However, the cart is not visible.
Over time, the imperial army began to devalue the Aztec military system, especially its supplies.
It was because ‘the cart does not exist.’
Aztec soldiers hung baskets full of supplies on strings over their heads and walked by holding on to them with both hands.
The imperial commanders and soldiers all clicked their tongues at the sight.
“Tsk! “I guess I can’t carry much like that!”
“Tsk tsk! “You don’t even have to lose?”
“You don’t even have to carry a cart, let alone a cart…”
However, this low opinion changed as we entered the mountain range.
The Aztecs used strings to hang baskets on their heads, freeing both hands, so they could move easily even when encountering steep slopes. On the other hand, when the imperial army encountered steep slopes, horses and men worked as one to move the cart.
After going through these difficult battles, the imperial commanders opened their notebooks again.
-A large amount of cargo is required for smooth distribution.
* * *
Admiral Ahn Sang-soo, who was looking back on the path he had taken so far and worrying about what might happen, looked back at his subordinate officers.
“Did you do the measurement properly?”
“yes.”
The officers of the imperial army were busy as they fought their way through the jungle and mountain ranges.
On one hand, they had to direct the soldiers wrestling with the cart, and on the other hand, they recorded the route they took and the surrounding environment using compasses and measuring tools.
This was due to Admiral Ahn Sang-soo’s order.
“All commanders are to record geographic information about the route taken so far.”
“You mean all the commanders?”
“every. “If something goes wrong and you have to escape, the more people who know the way, the better it is for survival.”
Following Admiral Ahn Sang-soo’s decision, commanders recorded geographical information and set their own milestones to keep records.
Of course, some officers were in tears.
“Oh my, my grades in the measurement method and Dokdo method were not very good…”
“Are you in the Navy? The most important thing to survive in the middle of the ocean is knowing your location, right? “You can’t do that?”
The good news was that they were all members of the Imperial Navy.
In order to survive in the sea where there were no landmarks, knowing one’s own location was a basic skill of an Imperial Navy officer.
Thanks to this, according to the admiral’s order, the commanders gradually collected information related to the movement route.
* * *
Admiral Ahn Sang-soo clicked his tongue lightly as he watched Tenochitlan getting closer.
“Tsk! “The defense must be the strongest.”
Tenochitlan was created on an island in the middle of a huge lake.
To enter Tenochtlan, you had to use the causeway and bridge. Most passages were at best wide enough for a single cart to pass through.
“Hmm…” Admiral Ahn Sang
-soo thought hard as he watched the Aztec warriors and King Montezuma I entering first.
‘If you divide your forces, you may be destroyed individually, but if you all go in at once and even the transportation route is cut off, you will end up like rats in a poison.’
Admiral Ahn Sang-soo, who had been thinking about finding the optimal method, made up his mind.
‘Divide our forces!’
* * *
According to his decision, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo divided his troops.
A cavalry corps of 10 officers on horseback was organized, and 5 wagons and 2 wagons (250 men) each accompanied the admiral.
“The remaining troops will use carts to form a circle and be on guard.”
“ancient!”
After giving orders to his subordinates who remained behind, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo drove his horse and headed toward Tenochtlan.
* * *
Guided by the warrior who was waiting for the admiral and his party at the entrance to Tenochitlan’s castle gate, the admiral and his party finally entered Tecinotlan.
Admiral Ahn Sang-soo, sitting on a horse, carefully looked around.
‘The city is well divided.’
The admiral, as well as the officers and soldiers moving together, looked in all directions with a mixture of tension and curiosity.
Meanwhile, the Aztecs living in Tenochtlan also flocked to the streets and observed the strangers they saw for the first time with a mixture of wariness and curiosity.
While everyone was observing each other, the admiral and his party arrived at the center of the city.
“Huh~.”
When Admiral Ahn Sang-soo saw the huge pyramids located in the center of the city, he unconsciously let out an exclamation.
“It’s similar to the pyramid I saw when I went to Alexandria before.”
After passing the pyramid where the temples were located, Ahn Sang-soo and his party arrived at the palace of Montezuma I and entered with a small number of guards.
“There may be a surprise attack. “Pay special attention.”
“yes.”
The guards briefly responded to the command of the officer commanding the guards and moved while looking in all directions.
* * *
A banquet was being prepared in the banquet hall of Montezuma I’s palace.
When King Montezuma I saw Admiral Ahn Sang-soo and his party entering the banquet hall, he gestured with his hand and offered them a seat.
While Ahn Sang-soo and his party were taking their seats, Aztec nobles and priests also entered the banquet hall.
As soon as people entered the banquet hall, food was brought in.
It was the beginning of a tragedy.
* * *
“omg!”
Admiral Ahn Sang-soo, who saw the food brought by his attendants, was so scared that he got up from his seat. Admiral Ahn was not the only one. All of the imperialists who came with Admiral Ahn stood up in shock.
The meat that came with the large pancakes was clearly human. No, there was a whole human arm on a large plate.
“Are there such damned squires! “How can you use your money to do such a cruel thing!”
Enraged, Admiral Ahn Sang-soo glared at Montezuma I and screamed.
“Have you seen these rude people!”
On the other side, Montezuma I was equally angry.
It was very rude to get angry after serving the offering that came from a ancestral rite.
“Suppress those rude people! “I will use it as a sacrifice for the gods!”
The Aztec warriors who rushed in at the shout of Montezuma I rushed toward Admiral Ahn and his party as soon as they heard the command.
At that moment, the guards pulled out the single guns they were wearing on their waists and pulled the triggers.
bang! Tatang! bang!
With a loud gunshot, the Aztec warriors at the forefront fell.
“Escape!”
“Protect the old admiral!”
Before we knew it, the guards surrounding Admiral Ahn Sang-soo were running through the passageway of Montezuma I’s palace.
“enemy!”
bang! Tatang!
“Reload!”
The guards ran with familiar movements and loaded bullets into their empty rifles.
“It’s a gunshot!”
Meanwhile, Imperial soldiers heard gunshots outside and began preparing for battle.