Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 669

669. The Story of Other Countries (4)

The heads of the Konga families and all their members gathered at Kofuku-ji Temple in Nara, the ancestral temple of the Oseop family, to hold a memorial service.

The reason they gathered at Kofuku-ji Temple was that this temple was the private temple (Uji-dera) of the Fujiwara family, which was considered the origin of the Oseop family.

The heads of the Konga families, who held the memorial service at Kofuku-ji Temple, emphasized the significance of this uprising to those gathered.

‘We will punish the rogues of the shogunate who blind the eyes of the Emperor and manipulate national affairs, and restore the Emperor’s direct rule!’

‘Our will is righteous, and our resolve is as strong as steel! Amaterasu Omikami [the sun goddess in Shinto religion] and the Shinto gods will bless us, and we will surely win!’

It was the Konga who raised the banner of revolt with such grand slogans.

Mochiyo, hearing these slogans, sneered.

“Hmph! Seeking Omikami in a place that enshrines Buddha! What a joke!”

According to the religious views of the Wa people [ancient Japanese people] at this time, Amaterasu was regarded as the incarnation of Dainichi Nyorai [the central deity of Esoteric Buddhism] due to the fusion of Shinto and Buddhism (Shinbutsu-shūgō) [a syncretism of Shinto and Buddhist beliefs].

However, when you looked into it properly, it was quite absurd.

Mochiyo couldn’t help but laugh after receiving a report on the Konga’s preparedness.

“Those guys don’t even know what a battle is!”

Mochiyo’s vassals all nodded in agreement.

* * *

During the Northern and Southern Dynasties period [1336 to 1392, a period of civil war in Japan], when they fought over two emperors, the Konga also participated in the battle ‘in their own way’.

However, in the various civil wars that took place afterward, the Konga were the ones who mostly stood by and watched.

Because of this, the Konga were not properly adapting to the fact that the methods of warfare had changed.

The most obvious example of this was this uprising.

The total number of troops in the Konga’s rebel army, including the Oseop family, was about 60,000, while Ouchi’s forces numbered about 35,000.

In terms of scale, the Konga overwhelmed Ouchi, but the Konga’s army did not have musketeers or artillery.

* * *

The Konga were not unaware of the existence of musketeers and artillery. Therefore, in the process of preparing for the uprising, they sought out lords who opposed the shogunate – especially lords who possessed their own musketeers and artillery – and urged them to participate in the uprising.

However, none of the influential lords that the Konga desperately wanted to join them did so. Only a few lords with extremely insignificant power joined the Konga.

There were three main reasons why influential lords refused to participate.

-Now, the core of the war is musketeers and artillery. If we participate, we will be put at the forefront and become cannon fodder.

-The shogunate is now considering reforming the system. And we lack both the justification and the ability to prevent this. We must secure as many troops as possible in order to minimize losses in future political deals.

-The shogunate’s reforms also include military reforms. They plan to create a Japanese national army like the imperial army of the Empire and the golden army of the Ming Dynasty. According to the information we have received, they will incorporate the lords’ private soldiers and samurai into the national army system. If we play this well, we can gain a foothold within the military.

Because of these calculations, the lords who possessed their own musketeers and artillery refused the Konga’s request to participate.

* * *

This was the background behind the Konga family heads shouting ‘Amaterasu and the blessings of the Shinto gods’ at Kofuku-ji Temple.

And Ouchi’s vassals couldn’t help but laugh at these Konga’s speeches.

“The blessings of Omikami and the Shinto gods? Hmph! I wonder if they even offered proper tributes?”

“It would be a relief if they didn’t lay their hands on the shrine maidens or nuns!”

They were criticizing the Konga, who were notorious for exploiting the people by relying on their long-standing vested interests and for their promiscuous private lives.

Of course, those who said that were not living particularly virtuous lives either.

* * *

The place where the Konga’s rebel army and the shogunate army clashed was Ikuta.

This Ikuta was the place where the Muromachi shogunate [a branch of the Ashikaga shogunate that ruled from 1338 to 1573] and the Ouchi clan fought a decisive battle, each staking their survival.

And before that, Ikuta Shrine, which provided the foundation for the establishment of the Kamakura shogunate [the feudal military government that ruled Japan from 1185 to 1333], was the site of the Battle of Ichinotani, which determined the definite direction of the historical Genpei War [a conflict between the Taira and Minamoto clans during the late Heian period of Japan].

Thanks to this, the shogunate’s vassals were confident of victory.

“This is a place where we have already won! Victory will be ours again this time!”

“You stupid Konga bastards! Of all the places to choose!”

“That place is always where those who dream of reform win!”

Some were confident of victory by looking at the past history, and others were confident of victory for other reasons.

“We already know the geography of the area well through the previous war! They chose the wrong place!”

However, the Konga also had a reason for choosing this place.

The reason why the Konga’s rebel army chose this place as the site of the decisive battle was that it was very close to Kyoto and Osaka.

* * *

After the Ouchi shogunate secretly took the Emperor to Yamaguchi, the people of Kyoto, regardless of their status, were hostile to the shogunate.

To what extent? In Kyoto, it was safe to shout ‘Ouchi is a traitor!’ in the middle of the street in broad daylight.

No, to go one step further, they were even treated to free drinks and meals.

This was due to their hostility towards Ouchi, who had mercilessly crushed their pride as the capital of the country where the Emperor resided for nearly a thousand years.

And the Konga were the ones who had spent as much time with the people of Kyoto as the Emperor had stayed there. Thanks to this, many people residing in Kyoto joined the rebel army when they heard the news of the Konga’s uprising.

“We have the justification!”

“Let’s bring the Emperor back!”

With these slogans, about 20,000 Kyoto residents joined the Konga’s rebel army. Thanks to this, the number of rebel troops quickly swelled to 80,000.

“At this rate, we can do it even without guns and cannons!”

As the number of troops increased by 20,000 in an instant, the heads of the Oseop family began to be optimistic about the situation.

In addition, they had plenty of military funds and supplies obtained by pressuring the merchants of Osaka. Thanks to this, the soldiers of the rebel army ate their fill, replenished their energy, and built up their confidence.

In a situation where their confidence was at its peak, the words of the shogunate’s vassals reached the ears of the Konga family heads.

The Konga family heads who heard the rumors sneered.

“Hmph! We know the terrain too! That terrain is a land where no tricks work except for a head-on confrontation! If it’s a head-on confrontation, we have an absolute chance of winning!”

“That land is where the shogunate loses! The shogunate will lose this time too!”

“Look at the example of Kyoto! The public sentiment is with us!”

The Konga family heads, who had absolute confidence in their victory, began to envision the situation after the victory.

-After destroying the shogunate army, we will bring the Emperor back to Kyoto!

-After that, we will eliminate the existence of the shogunate itself and return to the old system of consultation between the Emperor and the Konga!

With such rosy dreams about the future, the Konga’s rebel army entered into a decisive battle with the shogunate army.

* * *

Autumn of the 3rd year of the Imperial Era,

The battle that would later be called the ‘Second Mid-Autumn Festival Battle’ or the ‘Second Battle of Ikuta’ took place.

“The weather is really nice!”

“Victory is ours!”

Looking at the clear autumn sky, both commanders were confident of victory.

Clear and cool autumn weather and moderately well-compacted ground.

“In this situation, the soldiers will not tire easily, and the cavalry can easily charge! Victory is ours!”

The commanders of the rebel army were confident of victory with these calculations.

This was also the case for the shogunate’s commanders.

“The clear and cool weather means that the gunpowder will not get wet, and the moderately well-compacted ground is perfect for digging trenches and moving cannons! It’s the best weather!”

As the commanders on both sides were confident of their victory, Mochiyo, who had taken to the field himself, and the heads of the Oseop family waved their batons.

“Charge!”

* * *

As the sound of drums announcing the start of the battle rang loudly, the vanguard of the rebel army began to advance.

Bang! Bang bang! Bang!

The shogunate army’s cannons spewed fire at the vanguard of the rebel army, and holes appeared here and there in the vanguard’s formation.

“The momentum of the shelling is weaker than expected! Advance! Advance!”

The commanders of the vanguard encouraged their soldiers, encouraged by the less-than-expected damage.

The soldiers at the forefront of the rebel army continued to advance at the encouragement of their commanders.

As the vanguard continued to push in, the shogunate army’s musketeers, who were lined up in three horizontal rows, began to pull the triggers all at once.

Bang bang bang!

Amid the loud gunshots and the smoke obscuring their vision, the front row of the vanguard army collapsed.

“Advance! Advance! Their eyes are covered!”

“Advance! Those guys’ long guns take time to reload!”

The soldiers of the vanguard army continued to advance forward, encouraged by their commanders.

Soon, as the smoke cleared, the shogunate army’s commanders faced the rebel army that had come close.

However, the shogunate army’s commanders did not panic and gave orders.

“Fire!”

Bang bang bang!

Amid the loud gunshots and the smoke blocking their eyes and ears, the shogunate army commanders gave orders.

“Retreat!”

“Retreat!”

“Retreat loudly!”

At the commanders’ orders, the soldiers picked up their long guns and retreated, shouting all sorts of shouts.

“Run away!”

“Fall back!”

The commanders of the rebel army, seeing the shogunate army’s musketeers retreating as the smoke cleared, shouted with excitement.

“Chase them!”

“Charge! Charge!”

“Kill the fleeing enemies!”

“Uwaaa!”

The soldiers of the rebel army, seeing the retreating shogunate army, began to chase the shogunate army with excitement.

Meanwhile, the heads of the Oseop family, who were watching this scene from behind, immediately got on their horses.

“We will also commit the main force!”

“Immediately mobilize all our forces and drive them away!”

“Got it!”

In this way, not only the heads of the Oseop family but also all the nobles of the Konga got on their horses and participated in the great pursuit with the soldiers of the main force.

And this is where the problem arose.

The formation was tangled up as the nobles rushed out of the main camp at the same time.

It wasn’t that there were no Konga nobles who didn’t know military tactics. However, the situation in which the shogunate army was defeated from the beginning of the battle paralyzed their reason.

They were nobles who had been confident of victory and had dreamed of the situation after the battle even before the battle began. In addition, military achievements were essential to gain a slight advantage in the political struggle that would take place later or to demand a high price.

The nobles, whose reason was paralyzed by greed, chased after the shogunate army while entangled with each other.

Meanwhile, Mochiyo, who was watching this scene with a telescope from one hill, smiled with satisfaction.

“They’ve taken the bait.”

* * *

The shogunate army’s retreat was already planned. They moderately adjusted the speed of their retreat to make the rebel army continue to chase them, and the soldiers who were waiting in the middle intercepted them, preventing the rebel army from getting too close.

In this way, they retreated about 3 ri (about 1.2 km), drawing the enemy in and firing occasional shots to keep them at bay.

As the palisades and trenches built by their comrades came into view in front of the retreating shogunate army, the shogunate army’s commanders gave orders.

“Maintain order and pass through the entrance!”

“As soon as you pass through the entrance, take your place on the defense line!”

The shogunate army soldiers, who passed through the entrances of the palisades in an orderly manner, headed to their assigned defense lines under the guidance of their commanders. The shogunate army soldiers who arrived at the defense line took a breath and prepared for the upcoming battle.

* * *

When the rearguard of the retreating shogunate army passed through the palisades, the vanguard of the rebel army appeared.

The morale of the rebel army that appeared was strong, but their faces were full of exhaustion.

And this was the shogunate army’s aim.