Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 517

517. The Decisive Battle (1)

Himeji Castle, located about 100 *ri* [approximately 24 miles, a traditional Japanese unit of distance] west of Hyogo-jin.

This Himeji Castle was home to the Ouchi army, which had rebelled against the shogunate.

The history of Himeji Castle was truly full of ups and downs.

Built by Akamatsu Sadanori during the Northern and Southern Dynasties period, it started as a small castle.

However, through the wars that broke out when Akamatsu Mitsusuke assassinated the shogun Ashikaga Yoshinori, ownership of the castle passed to the Yamana family.

And now, the Yamana family, who had been defending the castle, abandoned it and fled to the shogunate camp, and the Ouchi clan occupied it.

* * *

“Now, let’s summarize the situation.”

“Yes, sir!”

At Mochiyo’s command, the retainers who were seated began to summarize and report on the situation one by one.

-Currently, the allied lords of Ouchi have about 30,000 troops. The shogunate side has 32,000.

-However, the actual troops expected to be *投入* [tōnyū – committed/投入] into the decisive battle are about 18,000 for Ouchi and 20,000 for the shogunate.

-The reason for this difference is the problem with the allied lords. Most of the territories are unable to dispatch troops because their neighboring territories are on the shogunate side or are neutral.

-Although the troop strength is slightly inferior, the morale and loyalty of our Ouchi soldiers are overwhelmingly high.

“That’s good news. It’s good news, but….”

Mochiyo, who was receiving the report, asked his retainers.

“It is certainly good news that the morale and loyalty of the soldiers are high. Then, what is the reason for such high morale and loyalty? Shouldn’t we know the reason?”

At Mochiyo’s question, the retainers hesitated for a moment before answering one by one.

“It’s because of the Joseon goods.”

“It’s also thanks to the Joseon doctors and medicines.”

After hearing the retainers’ answers, Mochiyo stroked his beard.

“So it’s Joseon again?”

* * *

The current situation of Ouchi was simple.

-The Ouchi samurai and soldiers are fighting, but everything else is Joseon.

The Ouchi soldiers were armed with Joseon weapons, filled their bellies with Joseon rations, and healed their wounds with treatments and medicines from Joseon doctors.

This was the same for the samurai. They collected the stipends they received from Mochiyo, the head of the family, and specially ordered *Wado* swords [Japanese swords made with Korean techniques] from Joseon blacksmiths, and those with more money bought Joseon-made *Dujeonggaps* [a type of Korean padded armor] to wear on their bodies.

Joseon, where high-quality steel had already become commonplace, produced *Wado* swords from small, nameless workshops that could cut in half the famous swords made by famous masters of Waeguk [ancient name for Japan].

The same was true of *Dujeonggaps*. Morimi, the previous head of the family, had been safe thanks to *Dujeonggap*, so Mochiyo started trying to obtain *Dujeonggap* whenever he had the chance.

The reason why the Ouchi samurai preferred *Dujeonggap* was not simply because of its good defense.

Although it was said that they were gradually disappearing, many of the rural lords and samurai still wore *O-yoroi* [traditional Japanese armor]. And, in the case of this *O-yoroi*, there was a problem with activity. *O-yoroi* did not fit snugly on the body and had considerable space. This was to prevent arrows from piercing the armor and piercing the body. This was similar to the *Doumaru* [another type of Japanese armor], which became the mainstream after *O-yoroi*.

However, despite having superior defensive power to Waeguk’s armor, *Dujeonggap* was close to the body and easy to move in. In addition, the weight of the armor was dispersed by being made into upper and lower separated types, preventing the wearer from getting tired quickly.

Thanks to these advantages, the Ouchi samurai tried to obtain Joseon-made *Wado* swords and *Dujeonggaps*. And, seeing their appearance, the allied lords and the samurai they led also joined the trend.

Thanks to the trend in Waeguk, Joseon artisans gained unexpected income.

* * *

Just as the lords and samurai were addicted to Joseon goods, ordinary soldiers were also becoming reliant on Joseon support.

The reason why Waeguk soldiers were reliant on Joseon was a more primal problem of survival.

As the envoy of Ouchi who met Hyang in Joseon said, Joseon’s rations were on a different level from the *Ganban* [hard tack, a type of dry biscuit] that Waeguk soldiers had eaten until then.

“It’s more luxurious than the rice I eat at home!”

The soldiers who ate the rations made in Joseon shouted in unison.

Next, what the Waeguk soldiers appreciated was medical care.

* * *

The reason why Joseon dispatched doctors to Waeguk’s *Sanggwan* [Korean trading post in Japan] was not only to lure the wounded soldiers who came to *Sanggwan* to become Joseon people.

The second purpose was to improve the doctors’ skills.

The doctors who were additionally dispatched to *Sanggwan* were military doctors who had completed military medical courses.

The fields mainly handled by military doctors were mainly external injuries. Military doctors who had completed military medical courses were dispersed and 배치ed [deployed] to military camps throughout Joseon to perform medical duties. However, as the north became quiet, the opportunities for military doctors to gain experience gradually decreased.

Of course, there were many trauma patients in general society outside the military camps, but there were many differences from war wounds, starting with the severity of the injury.

For this reason, the war in Waeguk was a good opportunity.

In the early days of the war, *Sanggwan* was the only place where doctors were 배치ed [deployed]. However, before long, Joseon military doctors began to appear on a large scale in the Ouchi camp.

The reason why Hyang sent military doctors on such a large scale was that Ouchi, as well as the shogunate, were armed with a large number of guns and cannons.

“The use of gunpowder weapons will become commonplace in the future. Therefore, it is essential to gain experience in treating them in advance, pass them on, and develop them!”

It was the best opportunity to gain experience in dealing with war wounds caused by gunpowder weapons such as gunshot wounds.

As the ministers all agreed to Hyang’s proposal, military doctors were dispatched on a large scale. Not only did the number of dispatched personnel increase, but more military doctors gained experience as they were constantly rotated, and the tools used for treatment began to be gradually improved.

And, as another side effect, the loyalty of the Ouchi soldiers greatly increased.

“The head of the family is paying attention to even us lowly people!”

The soldiers, whose loyalty to Mochiyo had increased, desperately returned even in situations where they were defeated in battle and retreated.

Soldiers who would have become deserters and become soldiers of the other side or become thieves were now doing their best to return.

* * *

“Is it best to follow Joseon after all….”

Mochiyo, who was muttering quietly, looked back at his retainers.

“Thanks to the excellent decision made by the previous head of the family, our situation is at its best. Where do you expect to fight the shogunate again?”

“I think it will be near Ikuta Shrine around the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“Ikuta Shrine?”

“Yes, sir!”

At the retainer’s answer, Mochiyo rummaged through his memory and burst out laughing.

“Hahaha! What kind of place is that! It’s where a new era opened! It’s truly an auspicious place!”

* * *

The Ikuta Shrine, which the retainer mentioned, was the place where the Battle of Ichinotani, which clearly determined the direction of the historical Genpei War, took place.

The Genpei War was a war waged by the Heishi, who controlled the court at the end of the Heian period, and the Genji, a local force, for the control of Waeguk. And through the victory of the Genji in Ichinotani, the main castle of the Heishi, the Genji gained a clear advantage.

And the Genji, who won this Genpei War, established the Kamakura shogunate.

Therefore, Mochiyo was very happy when he heard the word Ichinotani. Just as the Genji of the provinces defeated the Heishi of the center, he saw it as a sign that his Ouchi would overthrow the shogunate of Kyoto and open a new era.

* * *

Mochiyo, who stopped laughing and cleared his throat, ordered his retainers.

“Send envoys to the allied lords and the lords who are only watching and tell them this: ‘Don’t miss the opportunity to discuss the world with me.'”

“Yes, sir!”

“Don’t forget to let them know that they must join by the Mid-Autumn Festival.”

“Yes, sir!”

“Good. Good….”

Repeating the word ‘good’ over and over, Mochiyo looked back at his retainers. Seeing the faces of his retainers, full of confidence regardless of whether they were *文治派* [Bunji-ha – Civilian faction] or *武断派* [Budan-ha – Military faction], Mochiyo declared in a loud voice.

“Good! Taking advantage of this momentum, we will *토벌* [tobeol – subjugate/討伐] the traitors of the shogunate! We will drive out the traitors and become the masters of the world and open a new era!”

“Uo!”

At Mochiyo’s declaration, the retainers responded with shouts.

* * *

Mochiyo and his retainers’ confidence soon spread to the samurai and soldiers under their command.

The weather was gradually getting cooler as the rainy season and heat that had been exhausting people disappeared.

In addition, as it was the harvest season and they were filling their bellies every day, the soldiers’ morale was gradually increasing.

Heeheehing! Rumble!

The soldiers, who were vigorously moving toward the land of the decisive battle, turned their heads at the sound they heard along with the horse’s cry.

From where the sound was coming from, horses were pulling carts loaded with *완구* [Wangu – Korean cannons] -mounted cannons and boxes containing cannonballs.

The soldiers who saw the *완구* [Wangu – Korean cannons] raised their clenched fists to the sky and shouted.

“Cannons!”

“Cannons!”

“Uwaa!”

For the soldiers, *완구* [Wangu – Korean cannons] and the *Bigyeokjincheonleis* [Korean explosive projectiles] that *완구* [Wangu – Korean cannons] fired had already become objects of faith.

In small battles without *완구* [Wangu – Korean cannons], they often lost. However, in battles where *완구* [Wangu – Korean cannons] and *Bigyeokjincheonleis* [Korean explosive projectiles] were *투입* [tūip – committed/投入], they always won.

The soldiers who saw the *완구’s* [Wangu – Korean cannons] procession overtaking their procession and moving forward all shouted.

“We will win this time too!”

“We will win!”

* * *

Meanwhile, the lords who heard Mochiyo’s message through the envoys sent by Ouchi had serious faces and were talking with their retainers.

“Should we listen to Ouchi’s words?”

“Isn’t that the situation?”

“But, we might get robbed of our empty house [attacked while we are away]. And Ouchi might lose.”

The lords’ concerns were all the same.

-What if we get robbed of our empty house or Ouchi loses?

The retainers also had difficult expressions at the lords’ concerns. However, regardless of which territory it was, the retainers belonging to the Ouchi faction came to a similar conclusion.

“The problem of being robbed of an empty house is certainly a concern, but it seems difficult for Ouchi to lose.”

“Why?”

“Joseon is behind Ouchi.”

“The Ming is behind the shogunate.”

“It is difficult for the Ming to move, but Joseon can move quickly.”

“That’s right. It is difficult for the Ming to move now due to the emperor’s health problems, but the crown prince of Joseon has already taken control of everything. If we have heard of the crown prince of Joseon, he will never just watch.”

“The entire Joseon does not need to move. The situation will end even if only the navy staying in the southern sea of Joseon and Tsushima moves.”

The lords, who had been 고민ing [agonizing] at the retainers’ words, made up their minds.

“If Joseon moves, the victory or defeat will be decided. Prepare for dispatch!”

“Yes, sir!”

‘Joseon, Joseon Navy’

The lords decided to dispatch troops with just these two existences.

And, after ten days, large armies from both sides were *진을 치게* [jin-eul chige – encamped/陣을 치게] on the plains around Ikuta Shrine.

It was two days before the Mid-Autumn Festival.