Black Corporation: Joseon - Chapter 815
Episode 815: Siege of Tenochtitlan (1)
When King Sejong’s funeral was over and the island was slowly returning to normal, the final battle was being prepared in the south of the island.
“To be precise, it won’t be the final battle. It has its own form of country. It would be like cutting off your head and breaking your back. So don’t think it’s the end. “You cannot let your guard down.”
At a meeting of commanders, Lee Jing-ok calmed down the commanders who were slowly starting to relax.
However, Lee Jing-ok also expected victory deep down.
‘There may be a difference between an easy victory or a natural victory.’
There was a reason why Lee Jing-ok and the commander of the conquest army were confident of victory.
* * *
The conquering army, which achieved a great victory in the battle that took place at the entrance of the jungle, chased after the Mesica warriors who were defeated, or rather routed.
Because it was a relatively heavy conquering force, there was a considerable distance between them and the fleeing Mesica warriors.
However, Lee Jing-ok ordered his subordinates to be serious.
“It was called ‘1000 miles of beef.’ “Right now, it is more important to recover injured officers and maintain supply routes clearly than to pursue the fleeing enemy and expand the battlefield.”
One of the subordinate commanders raised a counterargument to Lee Jing-ok’s words.
“The best way to expand the battlefield is to pursue the routed enemies. If you leave them alone now, you will be giving them time to regain their strength. Not only that, but it also gives them time to come up with a plan to deal with us.”
“So we have to continue the chase right now?”
“That’s right. We have a very useful tool called a wheelbarrow. If we use this well, we can chase after the enemy and slaughter them while maintaining our strength.”
“Then how will we treat the soldiers injured in the battle?”
“You just need to leave an appropriate number of military doctors and medics. “If the remaining military doctors and medics follow along, they can also take care of the treatment of casualties from the ensuing battle.”
“Hmm…”
Lee Jing-ok nodded while listening to his subordinate commander’s words. The speaker, who thought Lee Jing-ok’s reaction was positive, looked confident.
“Tsk!”
Lee Jing-ok, who was staring at the confident expression of his subordinate commander, clicked his tongue with a disapproving look on his face.
When Lee Jing-ok clicked his tongue, the speaker’s confident expression from a moment ago disappeared and he turned white.
Since Jingjang and Qingje Jianyuan, there has been an unwritten rule among imperial officials.
-If your superior sighs, you are alerted. If you click your tongue, you are alerted.
Since this unwritten rule was the same in the military, Lee Jing-ok’s click of tongue made me think.
Lee Jing-ok, who had a look of disapproval on his face, continued to ask questions.
“The battle will continue and there will be casualties each time. “If we leave behind military doctors and medics every time that happens, there will be a shortage of military doctors and medics by the time we get to their capital. What will we do then?”
“At that time, if we mobilize the remaining military doctors and medics…”
“Where will we get the carts to carry them? No, let’s say I have a cart to bring. “So you’re saying we should abandon the remaining wounded here?”
“If we use the additional reinforcements that will come….”
“What will we do if the supply route is a mess? Don’t you know what the jungle is like here? “Even if you cut down trees and bushes to make a road, if you don’t take care, the road will disappear in just a few days.”
“If we leave an appropriate amount of troops….”
“How many? We talked about reinforcements now, but most of the conquering army are volunteers, and the additional ones that will come are only a few hundred at best. In any case, the place where the enemy will fight most fiercely is the place right in front of the enemy’s capital. “This is a place where even if we mobilize all our power, it won’t be enough, so let’s divide the troops?”
“….”
“And you’re from the northwest, right?”
“Yes, that’s right?”
“Do you know well that before the Great Emperor announced the Northwest Territories, people from the northwest region were banned from going to work?”
“…yes.”
“Most of the soldiers receiving treatment out there now will be here to educate the natives once the war is over. What would happen if we neglected those who were entrusted with such important tasks? Do you think they will be loyal to His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire?”
“….”
The speaker in question fell silent at Lee Jing-ok’s point. The speaker, who couldn’t find a suitable answer even after thinking about the answer, had no choice but to wave the white flag.
“So Guan’s thoughts were short.”
“Next time, think again and open your mouth.”
“I will keep this in mind.”
“You too, keep that in mind.”
Lee Jing-ok looked back at the commanders attending the meeting and continued.
“Those who experienced the war that took place in Liaodong last time will also be here. At that time, our troops’ advance was very fast. However, even though it was so fast, it never neglected the treatment of injured officers. As our troops advanced, more military doctors and medics came from the rear to the front. Is that it? Look at the military academy. We start pruning by dividing it into three chunks: Army, Navy, and Military Medicine. Why do you think this is? Do you think that the only reason is simply His Majesty’s merciful decision? This is because the soldiers out there are the foundation of maintaining the empire. If they know that His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire value them, they will also value the Empire and His Majesty. “Keep in mind that loyalty is not something you can simply force.”
“I will keep this in mind, General!”
Despite hearing the answers from his subordinate commanders, Lee Jing-ok continued his sermon.
“It’s the same for the soldiers out there, but it’s the same for the natives on this land. It would be a foolish idea to end with simply subjugating them. We must educate them and make them loyal subjects of the empire. That is the purpose of this conquest. If you are a commander in name and in appearance, your first virtue is to think about what the purpose of the war you are currently conducting and what you should do to achieve that purpose. “Keep in mind that you will never achieve victory if you ignore it even if you are commanding the smallest force!”
“Yes General!”
“Keep in mind that there is no promotion without victory.”
The subordinate commanders responded even louder to Lee Jing-ok’s last words.
“Yes General!”
According to the results of the meeting, the conquering army took a breather.
After treating the injured soldiers, those with more serious injuries than expected headed to the bridgehead under the careful care of military doctors and medics.
This was because naval ships regularly came into the beachhead to unload supplies, and proper treatment facilities were also built.
Next, they began to thoroughly manage the supply routes by mobilizing warriors from defecting tribes such as Seong.
Not only indigenous people were mobilized.
Engineers mobilized from the main and new locations entered the bridgehead in large numbers, and the road leading from the bridgehead to Tenochtitlan began to be laid.
The waist of the ‘Shinji Expressway Network’, which later became Shinji’s specialty, was born.
* * *
Through this respite, the morale of the soldiers of the conquering army gradually increased.
Soldiers who suffered minor injuries returned after receiving proper treatment, while other soldiers recovered their physical strength through sufficient rest.
In addition, as more carts and horses were supplied, the mobility of the conquering army became stronger.
The conquering army, supplied with spent ammunition, artillery shells and gunpowder, got back on the cart and began to chase after the fleeing Messica warriors.
To be precise, rather than pursuing the Messica warriors, they began advancing toward Tenochtitlan.
“Anyway, the final decision will take place in their capital, so there is no need to worry!”
Lee Jing-ok explained the situation to his subordinates with a confident expression.
“Just watch out for your flanks and move forward! “If there are idiots blocking your path, step on them!”
“Yes General!”
* * *
As they advanced toward Tenochtitlan, the conquering army encountered an unexpected situation.
On the way to Tenochtitlan, a pile of human bones was discovered.
The problem was the condition of these human bones.
“According to what Chu Guan said, it looks like he was eaten.”
Lee Jing-ok, who was looking at the pile of human bones, frowned at the aide’s report and swore.
“Have you ever seen three generations of bastards who wouldn’t even freeze to death after fucking like this!”
Lee Jing-ok, who swore harshly, called Seok over and asked for more details.
“Is it everyday for those bastards called Messika or something like this to do something like this?”
“Not really. “It only happens in Tenochtitlan.”
“But why?”
“It appears to be a supply issue.”
“supply?”
Sheng explained his guess.
-Mexicans operate a large supply unit when going to war. However, this supply unit alone cannot cover all supplies.
-For this reason, the Messicans sent messengers and merchants in advance to colonial cities located around the advance route. Then, merchants prepare supplies and the Messicans purchase them from them.
-In this case, the situation is a little different. First of all, the area where the battle took place is far from colonial cities. There would have been little room for supplies.
-In the case of retreat, it was not an orderly retreat but a disorderly rout.
Of course, there was no time to properly pack supplies.
“…In the end, they probably preyed on those who were injured or slaves while escaping.”
“That seems plausible.”
Lee Jing-ok, who was nodding at Chu Guan’s words, muttered without realizing it.
“But you eat people… Ah! “That’s what they used to be!”
Lee Jing-ok, who was frowning and examining the pile of human bones, gave an order to his staff.
“Show these piles to the soldiers and explain the situation. And convey my orders as well. There’s no need to hold those Messika or whatever bastards prisoner. Kill them all! “You bastards, you bastards, are worse than Yeojin!”
For Lee Jing-ok, who fought against the Jurchen tribe in the northeast during his youth, the expression ‘wild people, worse than the Jurchen people’ was the ultimate insult.
The staff immediately responded to Lee Jing-ok’s order.
“Yes General!”
The soldiers of the conquest army, who saw the pile of human bones under Lee Jing-ok’s orders, boiled over with hostility toward the Messika warriors.
Originally, most of these conquering troops were people who volunteered because they were angry at the Mesica people’s human sacrifice and cannibalism.
But hearing it from across a bridge and seeing it with your own eyes were completely different things.
Even those who volunteered for the conquest army, aiming for ‘new opportunities’ rather than ‘conquest and reformation’, developed strong hostility towards the Mesica warriors after seeing this tragedy.
Thanks to this, those who suffered hardships were the indigenous people who defected first, including Seong Cho-gwan.
“Is it true that you too…?”
“It’s not us!”
Every time they received such attention, Seng Chogwan and other defected natives desperately denied it.
“Why would you do such a crazy thing when your tribe already doesn’t have many warriors!”
“Raid a smaller tribe…”
“It’s easier and safer to hunt!”
“Ah…”
The soldiers of the conquest army nodded in response to Seong and his party.
If both parties were armed with similar weapons and armor, the attacker could have died as well. Considering this, as they said, hunting would have been easier and safer.
hello?
“This is Gukppong, who writes ‘Black Enterprise Chosun.’
Fortunately, my mother was discharged from the hospital yesterday.
You haven’t regained your strength yet, but I hope you do so quickly.
I will have to go to the hospital regularly starting next week, but I am also worried about that.
I sincerely apologize for not being able to publish the series for a while.
I will do my best to continue publishing in the future.
We sincerely hope that you will continue to love ‘Black Enterprise Chosun’ in the future.
I will do my best.
Gukppong dream.