Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 1044

1044. The Age of War – The Age of Copycats. (3)

The military observers who watched the French and Habsburg armies enter the Lorraine region later reported the following observations:

– “It was a war between armies mirroring the Imperial Army.”

– “They wear uniforms similar to those worn by the Imperial Army, only in different colors.”

– “Iron horses [trains] imported from the Empire, or closely resembling those of the Empire, carry soldiers to the front lines on rails built to Imperial standards.”

– “Subsequent supply of materials also relies on the railroad.”

– “Cavalry and self-propelled airships are constantly dispatched to scout the front and observe enemy movements.”

– “The airships relay luminous signals sent by the cavalry or self-propelled airships at the front to the main camp.”

– “The main camp, having grasped the situation at the front through luminous signals, seizes military strongholds as quickly as possible in response to the enemy’s movements.”

– “To this end, they mobilize assault vehicles and carts as much as possible to increase the unit’s mobility.”

It was essentially the same mercenary tactics that the Imperial Army had thoroughly exhausted during the Italian unification war, save for the sieges of Milan and Pavia. The mercenary tactics displayed by France and Habsburg in the Lorraine region were so refined that they appeared to be commanded by an Imperial Army general. The Imperial Army observers, watching the Habsburg army’s movements, engaged in a lively discussion about this during their evening evaluation.

“I’ll have to review the records or hear stories from those who observed the French side later, but France is also operating in a similar manner, correct?”

“That’s the rumor.”

“Hmm… interesting. France has fought fiercely with our Imperial Army, so it’s plausible they could adapt, but how did Habsburg learn these tactics? Weren’t they the ones who quickly retreated from Venice before we even arrived?”

“Honestly, that’s the question.”

The secret behind these mercenary tactics that intrigued the Imperial Army observers lay with the mercenaries themselves. After Switzerland sided with the Empire, France and Spain were forced to seek out new mercenary forces. It was then that the Landsknecht [German mercenary soldiers] emerged.

Among the Landsknecht commanders, many of whom hailed from the Holy Roman Empire, were individuals secretly planted by the Habsburg family. These agents returned and transplanted the Imperial Army’s mercenary tactics into the Habsburg army. The Imperial Army observers’ questions continued.

“What’s even more curious is that neither side demonstrated these mercenary tactics during the previous Lorraine dispute. What could be the reason for this?”

“I believe time is the key.”

“Time is the key?”

“That’s right. They couldn’t effectively utilize these tactics in the last dispute due to unfamiliarity, but now that they’ve become accustomed to them, they’re employing them boldly.”

“I see. So, this presents a problem?”

At one officer’s statement, the other officers nodded in agreement.

“I concur.”

The fact that they were skillfully using the Imperial Army’s tactics, rather than adhering to the classic dense phalanx formations of the past, was detrimental to the Empire’s interests. The Imperial Army considered two potential adversaries to be the most significant threats to the Empire: Ming and Europe.

Ming, surprisingly, persisted with classical mercenary tactics. One reason for this was a blind faith in the excellence of ancient military texts such as Sun Tzu’s *Art of War*, and the other was the confidence derived from the sheer scale of troops drawn from their enormous population.

The second hypothetical case, Europe, was considered an even greater threat than Ming. Considering their intense desire for expansion, the safety of Shinji was at risk. The fact that such a threatening entity was learning and effectively utilizing the Empire’s mercenary tactics was undoubtedly alarming.

“We’ll be spending all night researching new strategies and tactics…”

“Haa~.”

The Imperial Army observers sighed, anticipating a future plagued by overwork. Simultaneously, the Imperial Army observers stationed in the French army camp wore troubled expressions due to a different issue.

“This… I feel like we’ve become examiners evaluating military officer candidates.”

“I agree. Why are they so conscious of our every move…”

Those who were causing trouble for the Imperial Army observers were the French army command and military observers from other countries.

The Imperial Army was the pioneer in introducing the mercenary tactics they were currently witnessing. Therefore, the French army command constantly monitored the Imperial Army observers’ reactions while directing their soldiers. If the Imperial Army observers’ expressions changed even slightly, the French army command would immediately re-examine their orders and operations.

The same held true for other military observers. They constantly discussed the French army’s mercenary tactics and the reactions of the Imperial Army observers whenever they had the opportunity.

* * *

While the Imperial Army observers faced a challenging situation and sighed, the French and Habsburg soldiers were panting from exhaustion.

“Another move!”

“Again?”

“I think I’ve walked more steps in the past few days than I have in my entire life…”

“Are we an army or pack mules?”

“Damn it! The higher-ups ride horses and move comfortably, so they have no idea how grueling this marching is!”

The soldiers, upon receiving the order to move, reluctantly rose to their feet, complaining and grumbling. The reason for the French and Habsburg soldiers’ exhaustion was the presence of self-propelled airships. From the self-propelled airships floating high in the sky, the movements of both sides were clearly visible. The leaders of both sides, having confirmed the information relayed by the self-propelled airships, constantly repositioned their soldiers to exploit the enemy’s weaknesses and seize more advantageous positions.

As a result, both sides were forced to move continuously, changing direction multiple times a day.

“The soldiers are extremely fatigued. Wouldn’t it be more prudent to enter a nearby fortress to prepare for a siege or dig trench lines in a suitable location?”

The command on both sides rejected the front-line commanders’ suggestions.

“A siege is not feasible. The fortresses here were not built to withstand shelling. If we were to enter such a fortress, we would immediately become cannon fodder. This has already been demonstrated in the previous dispute.”

“We must dig trench lines, but considering the assault vehicles and cannons that the enemy possesses, we cannot dig trenches just anywhere. We must carefully select a suitable location.”

Like fighters circling each other, probing for weaknesses before engaging in a full-scale battle, the two armies shifted and maneuvered, constantly targeting the opponent’s vulnerabilities. While the soldiers on both sides relentlessly pursued each other without rest, the first gunshots rang out in the sky.

* * *

Across the land and sky of the Lorraine region, the self-propelled airships were the busiest entities. They formed the core of the reconnaissance force for both armies. With their vantage point in the sky, they could not miss the opponent’s movements and could accurately pinpoint their position. Unlike the sea, specific geographical markers – mountains, rivers, cities, or key intersections – could be readily identified.

Consequently, they became the target of resentment from both enemies and allies. This was because the information they provided forced everyone to move constantly. As a result, the atmosphere between the self-propelled airships on both sides gradually soured. In the early days, the atmosphere had been amicable. If they encountered the other side’s self-propelled airship in the sky, they often simply waved to each other. This stemmed from a sense of solidarity, a camaraderie born from risking their lives to fly in the sky.

Furthermore, each airship always had a commander on board, and these commanders were typically lower-ranking nobles or middle-class individuals with higher education. This led to polite exchanges of greetings when they encountered each other in the sky. However, as the intensity of the mission increased and they heard the complaints of their allies, the relationship between them gradually deteriorated. Elegant and formal handshakes gave way to raised fists and exchanged insults.

“Port side forward! Enemy self-propelled airship!”

“Again!”

Knight Émilien, upon receiving the watch’s report, gritted his teeth and turned his head to face the approaching threat. Glaring at the Habsburg’s self-propelled airship approaching from afar, Émilien addressed his men.

“Whose turn is it?”

“It’s Paul’s!”

“Okay, Paul! Get ready!”

“Yes, sir!”

The soldier who was called out grabbed the railing of the airship and took a deep breath.

“Hoo! Ya! Ee!”

Paul, after taking a deep breath, began to hurl unspeakable insults at the opposing crew.

Just then.

Taang!

Smoke billowed from the other side’s airship, and a gunshot echoed through the air.

“Get down!”

Émilien and his men quickly dove to the floor at the sudden attack.

Taang~ Taang~.

“Hahahahaha~”

“You idiots!”

“Hey! You cowards!”

After a few shots, insults and mocking laughter erupted from the Habsburg airship as it disappeared into the distance, leaving behind the smoke of its steam engine. Émilien, rising to his feet and checking on his men, watched the retreating airship. He then turned back to his crew.

“Anyone hurt?”

“No!”

“Any damage to the hull?”

“No!”

“Damn it! Return to base!”

Émilien, gritting his teeth, issued the order to return. Upon arriving at the base, Émilien immediately reported the incident to his superior. Baron Lisle, the commander who received the report, asked with a serious expression.

“No injuries or deaths, and no damage to the aircraft? What do you think is the reason for that?”

“I believe they used a pistol [Pistolet]. I suspect there’s a weight restriction on what they can carry on a self-propelled airship.”

“I see.”

Baron Lisle nodded. There was indeed a limit to the payload due to the weight of the steam engine installed in the self-propelled airship, the coal used as fuel, and the water that powered the engine.

“But if they truly wanted to, they could carry a few rifles. That’s the problem. This time, they merely tried to scare us, but next time, they’ll use rifles.”

Not only Émilien, but also the other officers present nodded in agreement with the baron’s assessment.

“The baron is correct.”

After confirming the officers’ agreement, the baron pondered for a moment before reaching a decision.

“First of all, we need five volunteers. We’ll remove all the extra water and coal that we usually carry and load a gun to hunt down those Habsburg bastards’ airships. Who’s willing to do it?”

At the baron’s question, all the officers, starting with Émilien, raised their hands.

“I’ll do it!”

In this way, a fierce battle commenced in the sky between the self-propelled airships of France and Habsburg.

* * *

The battle between the self-propelled airships was fierce. Defeat in battle meant a crash, and a crash meant death. As the conflict between the self-propelled airships on both sides intensified, both France and Habsburg began producing new self-propelled airships and deploying them to the front lines. A certain format began to emerge for these aerial engagements.

– Do not engage in 1:1 combat.

– Groups of multiple self-propelled airships form a single column and engage the enemy.

– The two sides, approaching in a single column, cross each other and exchange gunfire.

– During the engagement, self-propelled airships that have lost combat effectiveness immediately disengage and return to base.

As the battle continued in this manner, tacit rules also developed.

– Do not target the other side’s balloon whenever possible.

If the balloon was damaged, the airship would crash immediately, resulting in the instant death of all crew members. If this occurred, all that would remain was mutual destruction, so a tacit rule was established. The command and military observers on both sides, watching the aerial battles from the ground, wore strange expressions.

“They’re engaging in a fleet battle in the sky…”

Meanwhile, the Imperial Army observers looked as if they had been struck a heavy blow.

“We didn’t even consider that possibility?”

“We need to inform Seoul as soon as possible!”

And Hyang writhed in regret after seeing this information, which arrived as an urgent report.

“A fleet battle between airships! This is a must-see! This is the essence of steampunk!”

A scene from a movie he had seen in the 21st century flashed through Hyang’s mind. In that movie, an adaptation of *The Three Musketeers*, battleships suspended from balloons engaged in aerial shelling.

“Aww! I should have been there!”