Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 798

798. Skirmish in the Jungle (4)

The idea of deploying troops immediately without waiting for reinforcements quickly proved impractical.

It wasn’t due to Yi Jing-ok’s decision.

It was due to the natural environment of the bridgehead.

Around the time the sixth transport ship arrived, rain began to fall at the bridgehead.

It was the beginning of the rainy season.

“The rainy season here is nothing like back home,” Yi Jing-ok commented, watching the rain fall from the eaves of the headquarters building. A staff officer beside him responded,

“According to Ssang Cho-kwan and his people, even they don’t move around carelessly during these rainy periods. After a heavy rain, even the existing paths disappear.”

“How long is this rainy season supposed to last?”

“About half a year at the longest.”

“Hmm… this is a problem. Considering the time it takes for the troops to move, we might encounter this damn rainy season again when we actually arrive at Tenochtitlan [the capital city of the Aztec empire].”

Yi Jing-ok looked at the sky with a worried expression.

Yi Jing-ok’s worries were not unfounded.

* * *

With the onset of the rainy season, the weather around the bridgehead became ‘perfect for killing people.’

When the rain, which fell for nearly half the day, stopped, muggy weather with immense humidity followed.

“Damn it! Summer back home was heaven!” Tired of the humid weather, the soldiers wiped away the sweat and grumbled.

“Is this the kind of weather that breeds bastards who deserve to have their skin peeled off and be killed?” Tired of the irritating weather, the soldiers were all on edge.

Fortunately, the excessively humid and hot weather sapped their energy to fight.

“Every cloud has a silver lining, they say…” The commanders, who had been worried about fights breaking out among the soldiers exhausted by the weather and the waiting, breathed a sigh of relief and looked at the rainy sky.

* * *

“It would be a disaster if we encounter the rainy season when we arrive at Tenochtitlan, the capital where those damn guys live. The soldiers might be too exhausted to fight properly, and the supplies will get wet and ruined.”

Yi Jing-ok’s face was full of worry.

30,000 troops were by no means a small force.

According to the plan, it would take at least five days for the 30,000 troops to leave the bridgehead.

And there were hardly any proper roads on the route to the enemy’s capital.

Of course, there were paths used by the natives, but they were as good as non-existent for 30,000 troops.

In other words, they had to forge their own path, and naturally, the procession would be long.

Naturally, the unit leading the way would tire quickly, and the units would have to be rotated frequently.

And each time, the advance would be delayed.

Supply was also a problem. The longer the procession, the more time it would take to supply.

“Supply is the problem…” Yi Jing-ok’s biggest concern was supply.

* * *

Even when the operation was first planned, there was a heated debate to find a solution to the supply problem.

One of the suggestions that came up at that time was for the soldiers to carry all their own food and ammunition.

“Back home and even in Shinji, it’s common to carry a full load on a carrying frame and walk dozens of miles a day! They can just carry it and move!”

“In the case of military rations, it may be heavy at first, but it will gradually become lighter over time because the soldiers will consume it and the amount will decrease!”

Yi Jing-ok responded simply to these suggestions.

“I want you to pack your bags and walk as you said.”

“Yes?”

“It wouldn’t be fair if only the soldiers carried the loads; the officers should do the same, right? So, I want you to demonstrate whether it’s possible first. Let’s see… how many days did you say it would take from the bridgehead to the enemy’s capital?”

“Fifteen days at the shortest.”

“Hmm… pack enough rations for fifteen days, ammunition for three battles, and the necessary medicines, and carry them.”

“Well…”

“Just do it!”

At Yi Jing-ok’s command, the proposers had to walk around the training ground with their packs, and they collapsed in less than half a day.

“Now… you’re exhausted and can’t move even on flat ground in half a day. What kind of place are we going to? We have to cut through the jungle and cross the mountains. Do you think it’s possible?”

At Yi Jing-ok’s question, the proposers replied with tired faces.

“We were wrong.”

“Go and rest.”

Turning around, Yi Jing-ok muttered to himself.

“Have we been too peaceful? There are too many who know battle, but don’t know war…”

Hwang, who heard the report later, chuckled and muttered.

“We won’t have someone like our independence merit awardee, General Mutaguchi [a Japanese general known for his disastrous Imphal campaign during World War II, infamous for its logistical failures].”

* * *

“We planned for the jungle and the rainy season, but the situation is worse than expected, worse.”

Seeing Yi Jing-ok worried about the operation being difficult due to the rainy season in Central America, the staff officer spoke again.

“Ssang Cho-kwan reported on that, didn’t he? He said that Tenochtitlan doesn’t get as much rain as this. It only rains for about an hour a day, and the rest of the time it’s clear, so there won’t be much to worry about.”

“That’s the problem. We didn’t anticipate that Ssang Cho-kwan’s experience and our experience would be so different. When Ssang Cho-kwan said it rained a lot all day, we only thought about the rainy season back home. But look now. The rainy season back home is nothing compared to this, is it?”

“…”

At Yi Jing-ok’s criticism, the staff officer closed his mouth.

Yi Jing-ok returned to his seat and continued.

“The operation was based on our experience back home. Since the local situation exceeds our expectations, we need to readjust. Call the commanders.”

“Yes.”

* * *

The Imperial Army commanders, surprised by the local natural environment that exceeded their expectations, diligently revised the operation and looked after the soldiers.

Thanks to the commanders, starting with Yi Jing-ok, moving diligently, the expeditionary force soldiers stationed at the bridgehead were able to endure the rainy season without major losses.

And all of this process was written in detail in a report and loaded onto the returning transport ship.

Hwang, after confirming the contents of the report loaded on the transport ship, ordered the managers.

“This is a very important lesson. Transcribe it properly and send it to the mainland.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

According to Hwang’s order, Yi Jing-ok’s report, which was copied, also went to the mainland. Wan, who received Yi Jing-ok’s report, carefully examined the contents and ordered Hwang Bo-in.

“Order the Ministry of National Defense to revise the manuals and doctrines based on this report.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

As an aside, thanks to this feedback, the Imperial Army came to have environmental information for most regions in their hands. And, based on this information, they became the most adaptable army.

Also, thanks to being the entity with the most weather and environmental information for the longest time and the widest area, meteorologists, environmental scientists, and biologists around the world called the Imperial Ministry of National Defense the ‘Treasure Trove of Data.’

* * *

Near the end of the rainy season, all the soldiers of the expeditionary force gathered at the bridgehead.

Thanks to the expansion work of the bridgehead that continued even during the rainy season, the bridgehead, by the time the last soldiers arrived, had become a decent military port and defense facility.

“This will be very useful!” At the admiral’s exclamation, admiring the well-made facilities, Yi Jing-ok chuckled and replied.

“Think of it as a substitute for the boat fare you pay when you come and go.”

“Then a little more…”

“Hey, you!”

“It’s a joke. A joke. Hahaha!”

“Hahaha!”

The two men, who created a warm atmosphere by lightly joking, continued their conversation.

“By the way, the report you sent was very helpful. I am especially grateful for investigating the times when strong winds blow and the changes in the weather.”

The admiral’s gratitude was not just lip service. For sailing ships, wind was both medicine and poison. Therefore, the Imperial Navy meticulously recorded the seasons when storms frequently occurred on major sea routes. However, Shinji still lacked a lot in terms of quantity and accuracy compared to the mainland.

As the number of ships and personnel belonging to the Shinji-based navy increased, the information was increasing, but there was still a lot lacking. In such a situation, the weather report that Yi Jing-ok wrote and sent was like welcome rain after a drought.

“I’m glad it was helpful.”

“Then will you depart as soon as this rainy season ends?”

“According to Ssang Cho-kwan, the rainy season seems to be ending in ten days, so I will depart in five days.”

“Is that so? I wish you good luck once again.”

“Thank you.”

Five days later, the gate of the bridgehead opened, and the vanguard of the expeditionary force finally began to step into the jungle.

* * *

“The southern jungle is a terrible place.”

Yi Jing-ok clicked his tongue as he moved along the path cleared by the vanguard.

The soldiers who entered the jungle were tiring faster than they had initially expected, or even faster than they had planned later.

Not only were they wary of possible ambushes, but there were also deadly poisonous plants everywhere that were fatal even with a slight touch, and poisonous insects and wild animals were overflowing.

Even when they were clearing the jungle near the bridgehead, the soldiers didn’t tire this much.

That was because the bridgehead was right behind them. The existence of the bridgehead, where they could take refuge immediately if there was even a slight danger, was a great support for the soldiers.

But now they were in the middle of the jungle.

The only beings the soldiers could trust were their fellow soldiers. However, if they were even slightly careless, they would be isolated in the jungle alone. The dense jungle foliage made it impossible to see others even if they were only slightly separated.

In fact, something similar happened, and they had to stop the advance several times.

If a soldier who was going ahead disappeared, or if contact with the following unit was lost, all units stopped as they were.

“We should give up the idea of passing through the jungle in fifteen days.”

At Yi Jing-ok’s words, the commanders all nodded with gloomy faces.

To lighten the gloomy atmosphere, the staff officer reported, finding the most positive aspect possible.

“We have prepared enough supplies, anticipating that part. And, if we encounter Ssang Cho-kwan’s tribe and other tribes, we will be able to secure a sufficient number of guides, so we won’t have this trouble.”

“There has never been a time when we have waited for them as much as now.”

Three days later, the vanguard contacted the warriors of the Ssang tribe.

Ssang, who was leading the unit at the front, greeted the warriors of the tribe with a bright face, and the commander of the vanguard immediately sent a messenger.

Yi Jing-ok, who received the report through the messenger, finally brightened up.

“Finally, we can take a breather!”

Yi Jing-ok paired the Ssang tribe warriors with the Imperial Army soldiers and placed them in the middle of the unit.

Those who were assigned went back and forth in the middle of the procession, preventing people from getting lost or going astray, or quickly finding water sources that the expeditionary force needed.

Thanks to this, the moving speed of the expeditionary force gradually increased.